Lost Memories
by ShadowDragon-24
Summary: Ed and Al have come back to Resembol with Al's full body. Ed still has Automail limbs and they're busted, though. Sadly, that's not the only thing that's busted...EdWin COMPLETE!
1. Memory Loss

_**Lost Memories**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own _FMA_ In Any Way.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language.

**A/N: **I have nothing to say…except that I hope you enjoy ;)

F----------------M----------------A

"Thanks for helping me Alphonse," Ed mumbled as he had a flesh arm around Al's human neck. Al was also holding him around the waist; both his Automail limbs had lost function and he couldn't walk because of that.

"Don't mention it, Brother," the younger Elric said cheerfully with a happy smile.

"Brother…" Ed repeated silently and looked ahead with a lost look in his eyes.

"Still don't recognize me, huh?" Al asked, his voice was filled with sadness. His brother looked back to him.

"I'm sorry…but nothing's come to me yet…" he said apologetically. Al managed to smile at him.

"It's OK," he told him. "I'm sure you'll remember soon." Ed simply looked ahead once more. He could see the large plains of lush, green grass everywhere around him. The smell in the air was crisp, clean, and natural. He remembered none of it. This was supposed to be his hometown but nothing really stuck out.

_What's this place called again? _He asked himself, anxious about asking Alphonse. _Resem…Resembol…yeah, that's it,_ he figured and continued looking around. He looked down to his metal arm which was dangling uselessly at his side. _Auto…Automat…no…Automail…there we go,_ he reminded himself of the name of his metallic limbs. They were a mystery to him but, according to Alphonse, he had used them many a time to help him get out of sticky situations.

Nothing made sense at this point. He couldn't remember anything. Supposedly, the boy who was helping him was his younger brother. He himself was once a State Alchemist to the military, whatever a State Alchemist _is_ anyway. He was rather well-known, too; he and his brother both.

_Oh well, _he thought.

"Hey Alphonse?" he questioned as he looked back to the younger.

"I told you," the young Elric said kindly. "You can call me Al for short," he stated. Ed shrugged.

"Sorry," he said. "I'm just not really used to that, I guess…I'm not even used to calling you 'Alphonse'," he told him, trying to sound humorous. It didn't really work. "Anyway," he continued. "Where are we going again?" he asked curiously.

"To Winry's house," Al explained plainly, hoping his brother remembered who Winry was.

"Winry? Who's that?" the 17-year-old voiced his thoughts. Alphonse sighed.

"You'll see."

F----------------M----------------A

Soon, the two Elric's reached the two-story, light-yellow home. They stood before it as Ed gazed at it, slightly surprised. Before they could continue walking, the front door opened and a shining, metal object flew straight out it and towards Edward's head. The teens golden eyes widened before he was hit and forced onto his back, with a rather large red mark on his forehead.

"What the hell was that!?" he demanded heatedly.

"That would be Winry," Al said nervously. Ed gave him a curious look as he tried to sit up and eventually did. He looked up and could see a steaming angry blonde girl in purple overalls that tied around her hips with a black tube top. As stated, she had long blonde hair that reached halfway down her back and ocean-blue eyes that were currently filled with anger. Had her eyes been water, said water would probably be boiling by now. Yet, once Ed laid his eyes on her…

_She's beautiful, _he thought blissfully and then smiled dumbly with half-lidded eyes.

"Edward!" the girl demanded as she walked up to him. "What have you done to my Automail _this time!?_" she ordered in a harsh voice. Ed's eyes widened and he shook his head.

"Uh..._Your_ Automail?" he asked curiously. "It's connected to _my_ body…isn't it technically mine?" he continued, which only caused the blonde girl to become more furious. Al, who was behind her, was swiping his hand through his neck, signifying he _shut up_ before the girl kills him.

"Don't you play dumb, Ed!" she seethed through gritted teeth. The teen on the ground shrugged heatedly.

"I'm not playing dumb! I don't even know who you are!" he stated angrily. Winry's eyes widened and Al slapped himself in the forehead.

"What do you mean?" Winry asked him.

"Ask _him!_" Edward demanded as he pointed to Alphonse. The blonde turned around to face Al; her eyes demanded that he tell her what was wrong.

"Um…you see, Winry…Ed kind of…sacrificed most of his memories in order to get my body, after sacrificing his real limbs and getting his Automail again…" the younger Elric explained nervously. Winry's eyes widened again, sadly.

"So…he doesn't remember me?" she asked miserably. Al nodded grimly.

"He barely knows who _I_ am," he explained. Winry sighed.

"His Automail was returned busted," the younger Elric told her. "Plus, even if it _was_ returned with function, he doesn't know how they work or even how to use them," he said. The Automail mechanic looked back to the Alchemist on the floor; she suddenly felt sympathy for him. He sacrificed so much to get Al's body; every childhood memory, every pleasing moment he ever had in his life…they were gone. She sighed.

"C'mon," she said. "Let's get him inside so I can at least see what's wrong with his Automail," she told him and then went to Ed's right side. Al obliged to what she said and went to his opposite side. Both grabbed his arms and put them around their necks, putting their arms around his waist as well. They helped him into the house and onto a light-yellow couch.

Winry looked over at Al and smiled suddenly.

"By the way, Al," she said playfully as the Elric looked to her. "Glad you got your body back." Alphonse smiled at her happily.

"Me too," he said contently.

"Make yourself cozy; you could use some rest, I'm sure," Winry offered kindly. Al nodded and thanked her before walking off upstairs. The blonde Rockbell then turned to the teen on the couch.

"You OK?" she asked curiously. Ed looked up to her and smiled a bit.

"Aside from the headache you gave me, I'm pretty good," he told her, trying to pull some humor out of the situation. Winry smiled at him nervously.

"Sorry about that…it's…something you and me had…I'd usually throw my wrench at your head every time you got me angry," she told him anxiously. The Elric raised a brow at her.

"I'll…be right back," she said and then walked back outside to pick up her precious wrench. She held it in her hands and sighed. She suddenly missed the old Edward; he was the one who had bought her that wrench when they were younger. Nevertheless, she walked back into her house, entering and closing her door behind her. She walked to the backroom and grabbed her toolbox before going back to Ed and sitting on his right side.

"Let me see your arm," she told him. The Elric glared at her slightly.

"It's there, I'm sure you can see it," he said. "Besides," he explained. "I can't move it, remember?" he asked, as if it was the most obvious thing. Winry gave him another edgy smile.

"Oh, yeah…" she said and began to inspect the metallic limb. Opening the plate, she shuffled through the wirings and soon found the problem.

"The nerves aren't connected," she explained. "And a bunch of the major wires have snapped." Ed gave her an odd look.

"So…what?" he asked, curious as to what she had to do now. Winry sighed and stood up, his protective plate in her arm and the bolts that held it in her other hand.

"I have to remove all the wires and replace them. I'm gonna go into the backroom to prepare; we might have to pull an all-nighter for this one. I'll be back in a minute to help you back there," she told him and then walked off with her toolbox. Once she disappeared, Ed sighed.

_All-nighter, huh? Damn…_he thought, disappointed. He was pretty tired already; today had been too much of a confusing day for him and he wanted to rest to get his head straight. Nevertheless, he supposed he needed to walk sometime. He heard steps behind him and looked over his shoulder to see the blonde mechanic walking towards him. Looking ahead once more, he waited for her to come.

She stood next to him soon and then sat down at his side.

"Ready?" she asked with a smile. Ed looked to her and shrugged.

"I'm really tired…" he mumbled as he bowed his head sadly. Winry gave him a worried look.

"You want to rest for a bit before we start? It's not good to do Automail tune-ups when you're tired," she advised for his sake. Ed looked over at her.

"Um…can I?" he asked nervously. Winry smiled at him caringly.

"Of course," she told him kindly. "I would never operate with Automail if the customer is too tired to do so," she explained. "I'll go get you a pillow and blanket so you can rest here on the couch, OK?" she offered sweetly. Ed rubbed his eyes.

"Thanks," he mumbled. Winry smiled one last time before walking off upstairs. After a while, she came back holding a pillow and blanket she had gotten from the room the Elric usually resided in. Walking up to him, she placed the pillow on the far left side of the couch and placed the blanket on the table in front of said sofa.

"Let me help you lie down," she insisted. Ed blushed and looked away but took her offered help, nonetheless. Soon, the amnesic teen was lying down. Winry unfolded the blanket and placed it over him.

"Get your rest," she told him. "I'll start as soon as you're ready; fair enough?" she asked teasingly.

"Yeah," the Alchemist replied as he closed his eyes and quickly slipped into unconsciousness. Winry smiled but felt worried.

_Poor thing…_

F----------------M----------------A

**A/N: **Please R&R, constructive criticism, no flames ;) thanks! I really hope you like the story so far; it won't be continued unless I have enough good comments :)


	2. Nightmare

_**Lost Memories**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own _FMA _In Any Way.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language.

**A/N: **Thank you all for your reviews, favorites, and alerts!

**WARNING: **Will have a few Manga references in there.

F----------------M----------------A

"_AL!!" He called nervously as he looked to the half-destroyed armor body of his brother. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" the golden-blonde teen said angrily and then looked to the scarred man who had partially destroyed his brother's body. He tried to swipe his backhand blade at him but, unfortunately, the man caught his metallic wrist. _

"_I said you were too slow," the man's deep, intimidating voice said lowly. He tried to transmute his arm but the young teen pulled back and fell onto the ground. The scarred man gave a curious look. _

"…_Damn it!!" Ed muttered heatedly as he stood up and his red coat fell off and revealed his shining arm in all its glory. _

"_Automail…" the man mumbled quietly. "I see. It shouldn't have been destroyed through 'Human Destruction'," he said more to himself. He looked over to the other brother. "And that one over there," he said. "I thought I would destroy his body because I tore his armor, but he doesn't have a body," he suddenly realized._

"_You're a strange bunch…" he told the eldest. _

"_Haven't I wasted enough time thanks to you?" Ed demanded quietly but irately as he clapped his hands. Next, he transmuted his Automail into a backhand blade. "I'm not nice enough to play by _**your**_ schedule!" he told him. _

"_Brother, don't…" Al pleaded from the ground, his voice echoing in the empty armor. "Run away…" he hoped his elder brother would listen. _

"_You idiot!" Ed insulted his younger. "You think I can just leave you behind and run away!?" he demanded and then turned back to the dark-skinned man._

"_So," the silver-haired man began. "By putting both your hands together, you form a ring and use the cycled energy to transmute?" he asked in an unadorned tone. "Then…" he said and outstretched his right hand. _

"_RAAAAAAA!!!" Ed screamed as he ran towards him, his arm ready to attack. Once he was close enough, he tried a punch towards the man's face, hoping the blade would attack successfully. Unfortunately, the man missed it by mere inches but caught the young teen's arm in his right fist. Ed's breath got caught in his throat and his eyes widened nervously. _

"_The first thing to do is to have this annoying arm…" he began before firmly holding the boy's metal arm. "Destroyed." The moment the word left his mouth, he squeezed the arm tightly and caused a transmutation to take place. Ed's eyes widened as he was suddenly pulled back and his metallic arm before him…was demolished into over a thousand little pieces. He fell to his knees and held his shoulder with his flesh hand. _

"_Bro…"—Alphonse said nervously as he watched. The pain, for Edward, shot through him from the nerves being disconnected so quickly. _

"_BROTHER!!" Al called out, his voice cracking sadly and jumpily as he worried from his brother's life. Thunder roared around them as the cold rain pelted the ground and skin of people. _

"_I will give you time to pray to God," the man who destroyed Ed's arm said quietly as he stood over the young teen. _

"_Sorry, but there isn't a God I want to pray to," the elder Elric said silently as he bowed his head, his damp, golden bangs shadowing his eyes from view. The man with the scar over his face said nothing. _

"_You're only after me, right?" Ed asked, his position not changing. "My little brother, Al…Are you going to kill him too?" he asked, hoping the man wouldn't. _

"_If there are obstacles, I will remove them," the man replied subtly. "But for now, the only one I have business with is the Fullmetal Alchemist…only you."_

"_Really?" the apparent Fullmetal Alchemist questioned. "Then promise me…that you won't touch my little brother," he asked of him, hoping he would understand. _

"_Bro…" Al pleaded quietly, praying his brother wouldn't sacrifice himself this way._

"_I will keep my word," the man with the scar promised. Alphonse tensed anxiously. _

"_What are you saying…!?" he called out angrily and sacred at once. "Brother, what are you doing!?" he demanded. "Run away! Get up! Run!" the man ignored Al's miserable pleas and continued bringing his lethal hand closer to Ed's head, ready to kill him from the inside. "Stop…stop it!" the young one begged; had he been in his body, he would've been crying. He started dragging himself, slowly, towards them. _

_Ed was forcing himself to stay still; he wanted to run. He wanted to run and never _**ever**_ look back. He was scared and could feel the man's hand coming closer to his own head. Soon, he'd be dead and his body would be lying, motionless, in a large puddle of his own warm, crimson blood. His body would be cold and his brother…his poor brother would be mourning over his death. _

_That was when he heard a shot ring out in the air. _

"AAAGGGHHH!" and it was also when Ed finally woke up. He was sitting up and panting hard, his nostrils flaring with each intake of breath. His whole body was trembling; his breath was terribly uneven. This feeling inside of him; it was complete and total fear and it was grabbing him, pulling him deeper into the darkness of fright. He could feel the cold hands of horror; they were grabbing him from all over and _weren't_ willing to let go.

"No…no…" he mumbled nervously as he closed his eyes and held himself with his one arm.

"Edward!" a female's voice suddenly called out.

"No…no!" Ed cried out; his mind was apparently playing awful tricks on him. Winry came to his left side and, carefully, placed her hand on his flesh shoulder.

"Edward…" she cooed before her hand actually touched him.

"Don't touch me!" he demanded and jumped away from her to the far right side of the sofa he was sleeping on. It was then that he looked up to who was there when he saw that it was the blonde mechanic, he softened a bit but still stayed nervous; what f he was still dreaming? What if she was against him?

_Damn it, _he thought nervously and shut his eyes closed.

"Please," he begged. "D…don't hurt me," his voice was shaky and cracking. Winry gave him an odd look.

"Ed," she cooed. "Why would I want to hurt you? It's me, Winry, I'm your friend," she murmured sweetly. She had never seen him so freaked out; it felt unlike him. Then again, all his memories were gone, maybe that was it. He used to not let nightmares get to him; perhaps the loss of his memories has made him more vulnerable, weaker even.

His tortured life had made him who he was; tough, strong, and determined. Now that he had no memories of any of that, it was like he was a child again; any little thing could set him off, including nightmares. Carefully, Winry sat down next to him with a small smile. Gently, she reached over and patted his head, mingling her fingers with his hair. The teen looked up to her with shaking eyes.

"It's OK," she told him, holding the smile on her lips, hoping it would calm him. Luckily, it did; Edward stopped shaking and forced his breath to be even again. Winry brought herself closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly and comfortingly. Ed's eyes widened at the gesture but he immediately felt better.

"Thanks Winry," he whispered gratefully, cautiously wrapping his own arm around her waist.

"Don't mention it," the Rockbell insisted, laying her head on his shoulder. Ed held her with his one able arm and shrugged, blushing deeply as well.

_I wonder if she was like this with me when I had my memories…_

F----------------M----------------A

It was silent as the two blondes sat in the backroom. Ed was sitting, shirtless, on a stool as Winry sat next to him on another stool. The Elric's Automail arm was lying on the table in front of them as Winry was looking though it, carefully removing wires and other small pieces of metal. Ed leaned forward and placed his head on his flesh arm on the table. He was blushing lightly, mainly because he was alone and shirtless with a pretty girl, but he was also still pretty jumpy about earlier that day.

_That dream, _he thought. _That was_ **me**_ fighting that man…who was he? And who was the boy with the armor; he sounded a lot like Alphonse…_he continued pondering. What happened to Alphonse if it _was _him? And, what was that whole 'Fullmetal Alchemist,' thing about? His head started hurting; it was all too confusing. He growled irately.

Winry gave him a confused look.

"You OK?" she asked as she continued her work.

"My head kinda hurts, that's all…" Ed replied quietly.

"Any reason why?" the mechanic urged.

"I'm just confused, I guess," the amnesic teen said back, very unsure of things around him. Winry sympathized on him.

"Well, that's natural," she told him, causing him to look up to her, slightly surprised. "You don't remember anything; whenever you see something that you _should _remember; you _won't _find it familiar and wonder what or who it is. Kinda like with me and Al," she explained, shuffling and carefully pulling out wires from his arm. Ed shrugged.

"That makes me feel bad…" Ed began. "I mean, I don't even recognize my own little brother so I don't know if he really is. And, you're supposed to be my friend and mechanic…but I feel like I've never met you. I feel bad…because I know you guys probably feel terrible that I don't remember you…" he said miserably as he placed his forehead, harshly, onto the table. "I hate this." Winry felt worse than terrible for him; if only she could help.

"Why can't I remember?" the Alchemist asked, more to himself that to anyone else. He sighed.

"Because you sacrificed your memories," the Rockbell replied. Ed looked to her through the corner of his eye. "Had you not, Al wouldn't have his body right now," she explained and Ed's eyes widened and he quickly sat up once more.

"Say that again!" he said urgently. The Automail tech gave him an odd look as she raised a brow at him.

"Had you not sacrificed your memories, Al wouldn't have his body right now," she repeated, nevertheless. Ed's eyes stayed wide.

"Are you saying…that Alphonse didn't have a body?" he questioned.

"He had one," Winry clarified. "But he lost it and had his soul trapped to a suit of armor through Alchemy for a while," she explained.

"He was in my dream," Ed whispered as he turned his head away.

"What was that?" the blonde girl asked.

"Uh…nothing…it was…nothing," he said with a nervous smile. Winry smiled back and pulled out another wire. She wanted to help him.

She did.

F----------------M----------------A

**A/N: **Please R&R, constructive criticism, no flames ;) thanks! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. Connection

_**Lost Memories**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own _FMA _In Any Way.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language.

**A/N: **Thank you all for your reviews, favorites, and alerts!

F----------------M----------------A

Soon, Winry had finished replacing all the wires in both Ed's Automail arm and leg. He was currently lying on the operation bed so that Winry could finally connect his nerves and she could get started on teaching him how to use them. That is, when he'd recover, of course.

"Give me a minute," she told the blonde Elric. "I'm going to go get my grandmother so she can help me," she explained and Ed gave her a confused look as she walked off.

"You have a grandmother?" he called out, wondering if he'd get a response.

"Yeah, hold on," she replied. Ed shrugged and let his head down, awaiting Winry's return. He suddenly wondered about the whole 'nerve connection,' thing and wondered how badly it would hurt.

_It can't be that bad, _he supposed. Soon, he could hear footsteps once more and, through the door, walked Winry and a short, elder woman with a pipe in her mouth and high, and an unusual high bun in her hair.

"Ed," Winry began. "This is my grandmother, Pinako. When you and Al visited, you guys would call her Auntie," she said to him and then turned to the woman. "Isn't that right, Granny?" she asked. The elder, woman, known as Pinako apparently, took a puff from her pipe and nodded. She had a stern expression across her face that wouldn't seem to leave.

"So what did the _bean sprout_ do this time?" the elder Rockbell asked. Winry gasped silently and looked to Ed. She thought he was about to scream, _yell_, and _insult_ the older woman, yet again as he used to whenever she insulted him. But, all the two women received was a blank and confused stare.

"Did I miss something?" the blonde asked curiously as he tilted his head and raised a brow. Winry walked up to his side, dumbfounded.

"You really have lost everything, haven't you?" she asked.

"What, why, what happened?" the Elric asked nervously.

"Anytime someone insulted your height, you'd get mad and threaten the other person. You'd even say things that the person never said in the first place; you didn't like to be teased about how short you were," Winry explained. Ed shrugged and gave an annoyed look.

"I'm that short, am I?" he asked, quietly but irately at once. It caused Winry to giggle slightly.

"Of course not," she said happily. "But we always liked to mess with you just to see how you react," she said playfully. Ed sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said apologetically. "I got nothing coming back to me." Winry offered a small, sweet smile for him.

"It's OK, we understand," she told him kindly and then turned to her grandmother. "Anyway," she began, her voice reversing to a more serious one. "We're gonna finally connect your nerves, 'K?" she asked.

"I'm willing to walk as soon as possible," Ed replied happily.

"Then let's get started, shall we?" the Pinako woman asked as she grabbed a tool and walked over to Ed's metallic leg. Winry then grabbed a tool herself and walked over to the teens Automail arm.

"Winry?" Pinako asked and the young Rockbell looked to her.

"Yes?" the girl asked curiously. The elder woman falsely cleared her throat. Winry's eyes widened but she understood and nodded. She turned her gaze to Edward and tried her best to smile for him.

"Ed," she said tensely. "Before we actually connect the nerves, you have to know…it's going to hurt," she explained. Ed's eyes widened and he shrugged and looked away.

"How bad?" was all he asked of her.

"It's not gonna be a little sting, let's say that," she replied.

"Shit…" the Alchemist said heatedly and then set free a breath. Bracing himself, he looked back to her. Winry's eyes widened at the look in his eyes; it was the same exact look he used to give her, the one when he was determined greatly about something. His brows were tensed up and his eyes…they were filled with purpose.

"Give me your worst." Once he said it, he shut his eyes tight and prepared for the pain.

"Alright," Winry said back.

"One…"

The Elric tensed further and gritted his teeth.

"Two…"

Winry herself was sweating; wondering of the teen could really take the pain.

"Three!" In that moment, the two Rockbell's simultaneously connected the nerves. Ed's face contorted; his right eye twitched and his metallic hand and foot were fidgeting. He forced himself not to scream from the pain, no matter how badly he wanted to. Soon, though, he got to the point where the pain became unbearable.

"AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!" His voice screamed out terribly, shutting his eyes tight but he refused that the smallest of tears prick at his eyes. He gritted his teeth tight and hoped the pain would leave. But it didn't; it went throughout his entire body, not just his arm and leg. No, the nerves immediately sent signals of pain to his Central Nervous System, which caused those same exact signals to be sent out through the rest of his body.

Winry cringed from the sound of his pained voice. She looked up to him and felt so sorry; it was like it was the first time all over again. Remarkably, though, he took this time much better that the first. The first time he ever did it, he was sweating and fidgety all-over. This time, he managed to restrain himself and hold in the pain for as long as he humanly could. But still, it was awful to see him in any kind of pain.

The two Rockbell's pulled away. Pinako immediately went off and came back with a small, moist towel. Quickly, she handed it to Winry, and the blonde mechanic came to Ed's left side and placed the towel over his forehead. The young Alchemist flinched for a moment but allowed the towel to be placed, properly, on his head. Soon, the trembles of his body subsided but he still shook, slightly.

"You did great, Ed," Winry said to him soothingly. Ed panted slightly but forced himself to smile at her.

"Thanks…" he muttered, trying to sound happy but the pain was still kicking through him so he flinched again.

'We're going to let you rest, alright?" the Rockbell mechanic asked as she turned to leave.

"No, wait!" the Elric pleaded as he grabbed her wrist in his flesh hand. "Don't leave me…" he begged. Winry looked down to his eyes; they were filled with hope and sadness, desperateness as well. Her eyes softened as she looked into his and she came to his side once again. It felt so different; he would usually just want her _away _from him after connecting the nerves, seeing as she usually teased him about something. This time, though, his hand was holding her wrist tightly, imploring that she stay at his side.

"Of course, I'll stay right by your side, I promise," she told him, slipping her hand into his. Ed allowed his eyes to close finally but is breath stayed at a panting pace. Pinako took a puff from her pipe before walking off out of the room, leaving the two teens to themselves.

F----------------M----------------A

Once Ed had fallen asleep, Winry carefully pulled away from him and walked off into the kitchen; as much as she wanted to stay with him and keep him company, she still had other things she had to do. She felt bad leaving him all alone, too. After what had happened earlier that day, she was afraid leaving him alone would cause a few more nightmares to take place. She supposed she could pop in every once in a while, just to see if he was OK; so that's what she did. After every few chores she completed, she'd go check in on him.

Alphonse, too, had gone to see if his brother was OK. After hearing him scream, he was worried that the pain may have been too much. Winry explained how the connection had gone and Al gave a sigh, relived.

"He's resting now so don't wake him," Winry said. "For Ed's sake; he needs as much energy as he can get. Automail connection is tiring for the one with the nerves being connected," she explained. Al nodded, reassuringly.

"Of course," he said to her, understandingly. The day went on after that and, before they knew it, the Sun was departing. Winry was just about to finish all her chores for that day and asked that her grandmother prepare dinner for today. Pinako agreed with a nod.

"Take care of that boy," she told her granddaughter. "He might repay you sooner than he used to." Winry supposed she meant payment for the Automail but, after thinking about a little more, she realized that her grandmother meant a little more. She blushed at the thought but forced herself to brush it off. She walked off to the backroom, where Ed still lay, out cold, on the bed.

He was breathing steadily; his arms and legs, both metallic and flesh, twitched every so often. It caused Winry to chuckle quietly to herself. Nevertheless, she turned away and turned off the lights to the room; she figured he'd wake up in the middle of the night, later that day, or in the morning. Either way, it was best to let him sleep as much as he could. Maybe some memories would come back to him, plus, he'd get the energy he needs.

For now, that's all she could hope for; that he'd get better and, with any luck, start familiarizing himself with everyone and everything around him. Hope for him and try to help him. Either way, though, she had to admit that it was amusing to see this Edward; he seemed so innocent yet still had the minor rudeness that used to have. She suddenly wondered how he would wake up if he didn't know how to use his Automail.

_That's gonna be interesting, _she thought humorously as she walked upstairs and waited for her grandmother to call for dinner.

F----------------M----------------A

**A/N: **Please R&R, constructive criticism, no flames :) thanks! I hope you like!


	4. Lessons

_**Lost Memories**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own _FMA _In Any Way.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language.

**A/N: **I'm glad all of you are enjoying the story! ;) Anyway, go ahead and read :)

F----------------M----------------A

The next morning, Winry was the first to awake to the light of the Sun trespassing into her bedroom. She cursed the Sun for always sneaking its light into her room. Even so, she forced herself to wake up and step out of bed. She walked to the bathroom and quickly prepared herself for the day. She then changed into a white tank top and black, loose shorts and sandals.

She trudged downstairs, her wrench in hand, and walked into the kitchen. She suddenly heard a loud _thump_ from the backroom. Her eyes widened curiously but then turned stern. The mechanic walked towards the room with her wrench at the ready. Cautiously, she opened the door. As she stepped in fully, she had to resist the laughter that wanted to escape her lips as she saw a struggling Edward on the ground, shirtless and apparently trying to stand. Sadly, she couldn't help herself and she exploded into giggles.

Ed's eyes widened and he blushed as he recognized the chuckle.

_Damn it, I must look like an_ **idiot! **He thought nervously and forced himself to look to the blonde mechanic. He had to admit, to himself anyway, her laugh was cute. He shook the thought away and tried to glare at her, thought the crimson was still tinted across his cheeks.

"What!?" he demanded heatedly. Winry laughed more at his sad attempt to play the whole thing off. He certainly still had his 'Edward Elric,' charm; he hated to look embarrassed. Then again, she supposed, who _didn't_ hate to look like a complete idiot?

"I'm sorry," she said through chuckles as she forced her laughter to subside. She walked over next to him and knelt down at his side. "I'll help you up," she offered sympathetically. Ed huffed out an annoyed breath as he gave the young woman his flesh arm. Winry pulled him up and helped him walk into the kitchen. She sat him down at a stool.

"I guess this means you're ready to learn how to walk and hold stuff, right?" she questioned playfully as she placed her hands on her hips. Ed gulped nervously as he noticed the curves of her body and blushed again. A few beads of sweat rolled down the side of his face and he shook his head, forcing the thoughts away.

"Uh…yeah, sure…" he told her, unsurely. The Automail tech smiled and laughed a bit.

"We'll start soon, then," she told him. "First, though, how about some breakfast?"

F----------------M----------------A

After Winry made Ed and herself some breakfast, they immediately got started on Ed's lessons.

"We'll start with your arm," she stated as Ed was still sitting at the stool in front of the kitchen counter. "You'll need to control your arm to be able to balance yourself when you walk, anyways," she explained. She walked to the backroom and came back with a blank sheet of paper and a pencil.

"Here," she said as she placed both items on the counter in front of Ed. "The best way to get control of your arm is to learn minor movements before the major ones," she instructed. "By that, I mean your fingers and grip." Ed gulped as she said 'grip.' He started worrying on all the ways he could possibly screw this up. Nevertheless, he said nothing and waited for the blonde to continue. Winry came to his right side and leaned on the counter behind her.

"Grab the pencil with your Automail," she ordered calmly. The Alchemist stared at the writing tool apprehensively. Carefully, he tried to move his arm. All he could manage was a move of the shoulder. He sighed, unhappily. Winry laughed quietly.

"C'mon, Ed," she encouraged. "It's like moving your real arm except you won't feel it. Now go ahead, try again," she explained. Ed set free a breath and tried again. His brain sent the signals clearly this time and he managed to, slowly, move his whole arm up. His eyes widened.

_It worked, _he thought, surprised. Then, he motioned the metallic arm and carefully managed to grab the pencil in his fingers. He laid his arm on the counter and awaited Winry's next order.

"Good job, Ed," she said kindly. "Now, at the top of the paper, write your full name. It doesn't have to be perfect; it's just to test if you got your grip and motion of the fingers right," she explained, hoping he wouldn't be so nervous. It only helped so much, though. Ed gulped, yet again and brought his flesh hand onto the paper, to hold it still, before bringing his metallic hand over it. He sighed, trying to calm his nerves, and brought the pencil down to meet the paper.

Apparently, he miscalculated his pressure too much and caused the tip of the pencil to snap. The teen's eyes widened and a few droplets of sweat began beading the side of his face. He looked up to Winry, who was smiling at him sensitively.

"It's OK," she told him and took the pencil. She grabbed a sharpener from one of the drawers and re-sharpened the tip. "Here," she said in a low, sweet voice as she placed the pencil in his fingers once more but kept her hand over his. "I'll help you," she offered, placing her other hand on his back, causing Ed to blush more and lower his head a little bit; her touch sent shivers down his spine.

Carefully, Ed tried again.

"Less pressure," Winry instructed. The Elric's eyes widened slightly but he listened and managed to lessen the pressure on the pencil. "There we go," the Automail tech mumbled. She guided the pressure of his hand as Ed wrote the first letter of his name. Soon, the _E_ was on the paper.

She guided him with the next two letters but then pulled her hand away, keeping her other hand on his back though. After two minutes or so, the _Edward Elric_ was written on the sheet of paper; it was a little sloppy but the letters could be made out.

"Try a few more times," Winry suggested. "You still need a bit of practice with your fingers and your grip. I'll get you a drink," she said and pulled away from him, finally and walking off towards the fridge. Ed listened to what she told him and tried to write his name again. He even tried writing Al's full name, Pinako's, and even Winry's. The mechanic was taking a drink herself and watching the Elric from the sink across where he was.

She finished her glass and walked to Ed's side with another glass. As she walked up to him, her eyes widened as he just finished writing _her _full name.

"Ed," she said, setting the glass down. "What're you doing?" she asked curiously. Ed jumped a bit but calmed himself.

"I thought I'd try some names that weren't just my own; I figured I could get more practice with different letters…I hope that's OK," he replied, turning shy towards the end. Winry's eyes widened at the improvement he made by simply writing the names of who he knew so far. She was also surprised at the way his mind worked; it reminded her of his old self. Always thinking, always thirsty to learn a new way or practice different things to enhance one skill. It was just like him.

It made her smile at him and her heart warm at the familiarity.

"That's better than OK," she told him.

"It's incredible."

F----------------M----------------A

Winry continued teaching Ed a few finger exercises by making him write the numbers one through nine and zero, so he'd also get a feel for the numbers as well. She made him solve a few mathematic equations, fairly simple, but it was mainly to calibrate his minor movements. He soon became very well at his finger movements and that was when Winry began teaching him of his wrist movement and to shift his entire arm. She made him a punch into the air, which almost made him fall of his stool, had Winry not caught him by his waist.

Ed blushed as Winry's arm was holding him across his bare chest.

"T-Thanks…" he said nervously as he looked away. Winry sat him up once more and smiled nervously.

"No problem," she told him as she too felt the warmth at her cheeks. She forced the heat away and smiled at him.

"C'mon," she said as she put his Automail arm around her neck. "Let's go outside so we can work with your leg," she explained. Ed agreed and he allowed Winry to help him outside. Soon, they were standing in the backyard of the house. Ed was trying to stand while Winry was a few feet in front of him.

"Alright," she said to him. "It's just like moving your arm; except this time, it's your leg," she explained and brought a hand to her hip. "Walk towards me." Ed looked up to her and blushed, yet again; in his mind, Winry looked _too_ perfect, just standing there with a hand to her hip and said hip locked to a side, extenuating the curves of her young body. He smiled dumbly at her and let his eyelids fall slightly.

Winry raised a brow at him.

"Ed?" she asked.

"Yes Winry?" the other teen replied, rather dreamily.

"Walk towards me," Winry instructed once again. Ed's eyes widened and he shook his head.

"Uh…yeah," he agreed finally, smiling like an idiot and scratching the back of his head. He looked down to his leg and sighed silently. He moved his flesh leg first and then his metal leg. He managed to move all the joints without falling so he smiled. He continued towards the blonde mechanic, twitching his leg one or twice, but managing to stay standing and moving.

Soon, he was a mere three feet away from her, causing his heart to race. He took his next step without failure and then his next. Once more with his Automail and he was about to stand right in front of her. Sadly, though, a nerve in his leg jumped and he crashed into her, wrapping his arms around her waist and managing to keep them both standing. Winry's arms had also wrapped themselves around his waist, mainly to keep from falling.

The both blushed as they realized how close they were. Ed started thinking; thinking about how it was between them when he wasn't amnesic. He wondered if he had ever properly thanked her for the kind things she did. Winry tried to carefully pull away but Ed refused to lessen his grip around her. Instead, he held her tighter.

"Ed?" the mechanic asked curiously as her fingers felt the skin of his back.

"Winry," the Alchemist said seriously. "When…I had my memories and stuff…did I ever…" his voice trailed off, unsure of what words to use. Winry gave him a confused look.

"Did you ever what?" she urged, wondering what was bothering him. The Elric sighed.

"Did I ever thank you for everything you did?" he asked tensely. Winry's eyes widened and she watched him through the corner of her eye. "I mean…Did…I ever thank you for all the nice things you've done for me? Like giving me the Automail?" he questioned. Winry stayed silent for a moment before slowly bowing her head, sadly.

"No, you didn't…you were always grateful for the Automail…but you always seemed so preoccupied with getting Al's body back that you never mentioned how I was always here for you. You once even said that you had nothing to come back to in Resembol and that was when I told you that you had me and Pinako; we were the family you had here, whether you wanted to admit it or not." It left her sad after she said it; it made her believe that Ed was ungrateful for everything she did for him. Whether it be the Automail tune-ups and discounts or the warm beds she always had waiting for him, it had always felt like that with him. Like he was unthankful, no matter how much she told herself that he was.

"In that case," Ed said suddenly, trying to sound playful and sweet. He pulled her into a loving embrace, keeping his arms around her waist and burying his face slightly into her hair. Winry's eyes widened greatly at the gesture and she blushed. She felt like she was in heaven; one of her dreams was coming true. Ed was holding her, breathing her scent and possibly even hoping that she wouldn't pull away.

So that's what she did; she rested her head on his shoulder and waited for him to continue.

"Thank you, Winry," Ed whispered subtly. "Thank you…for everything," he allowed a smile to play on his lips, for a moment anyway.

"Whether I remember it or not."

F----------------M----------------A

**A/N: **Hope you liked! It was fluffy! X3 Please R&R, constructive criticism, no flames :) thanks!


	5. Visions of the Past

_**Lost Memories**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own _FMA _In Any Way.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language.

**A/N: **Sorry for the slightly late update -nervous grin- I hope you like the chapter! ;)

F----------------M----------------A

Al had taken Ed on a walk through town the next day. As he did, he told his elder sibling of all the people in Resembol and even explained some of the things they had gone through in the past. Ed nodded and tried his best to understand. He had many questions but simply listened to Al, hoping he could answer them. He wanted so badly to know about the memories he no longer had.

Out of nowhere, Ed remembered the scarred man from his dream a few days ago. Al hadn't mentioned anything of him but he refused to press the matter. Al had suffered much when they had first confronted the man, through his dream he knew this, and thought that Al may have been avoiding the subject. The truth was, actually, Al new very well of the incident but wasn't saying anything, simply waiting to see if his brother would ask about anything in particular. He was taking things slowly, for his brother's sake; he knew he was confused enough already and didn't want to make it worse.

Soon, the afternoon had come and the two headed back home. As they walked up to the house, they could see Winry on the porch, smiling at them. Al smiled happily, waving to her and laughing as well; laughing for no reason except realization. He was home. He was _finally_ home and he could feel and sense everything around him. From the slightly howling wind to chirps of birds in the distance, the world was alive; _he_ was alive, in every sense of the word. His senses were returned…but, sadly, at the cost of his brother's memories.

Ed, of which, was staring at him, slightly confused before looking to where Winry was. He smiled a bit himself and then, his eyes widened as he remembered something.

"_Haven't I wasted enough time thanks to you?" Ed demanded quietly but irately as he clapped his hands. Next, he transmuted his Automail into a backhand blade. _His supposed memory from the nightmare he had. He wondered…

The Elric looked down to his hands; opposite in color and mismatched in every sense. But they were both working; they could move and were solid. He shrugged quietly and widened his legs a bit. He kept his stance firm and strong, much like how he had seen himself in his dream. His eyes became determined and he looked ahead before closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, holding it for a moment.

Everything seemed to slow down around him. This was an important moment; if he could perform Alchemy, perhaps he could find a way to get it back, referring to his memories.

_Go or no-go, _he told himself before sharply opening his eyes and quickly clapping his hands together. The echoing sound of his flesh hand slapping against his Automail came and both Al and Winry's eyes widened as they looked to him. In mere seconds, he pulled his flesh hand away; the electric shocks of a transmutation interconnected between Ed's hand and his metal arm. The metal protective plate of his are shifted into a sharp, pointy shape to the side. Soon, it formed into a backhand blade, like in his dream.

"Whoa," Ed said, amazed at the look of his arm. He pulled it in front of him and could see his face in the reflection. He smiled confidently. "Perfect," he mumbled, mostly to himself.

"Brother?" Al asked curiously and Ed looked to him, smiling. "How did you know you could do that?" the younger questioned; he hadn't told Ed that he could perform Alchemy by simply clapping his hands.

"I saw it in a dream," Ed replied, continually inspecting the masterpiece of a blade he had transmuted. "We were in this alley; your soul was bound to a suit of armor then. We met a man with a scar on his face who could kill you by placing his right hand on you. He destroyed my arm and I made him promise not to lay a finger on you, even though he could kill me," he explained.

Al's eyes widened but he said nothing.

"I remember," Ed continued. "You were screaming, almost crying and begging that I get up and run away. I asked you if you thought I could ever leave you behind. I stayed and it almost cost me my life. Before the man was about to put his hand on my head, I started thinking about how it would be after I was dead; how you would be mourning over my dead body and I'd lying, cold and lifeless, in a pool of my own blood…that was when I heard a gunshot and I woke up."

Al was completely dumbfounded; everything he said was right. They _had_ met a man who wanted to kill him. He was talking about Scar, the Ishbalan man who murdered State Alchemist under the name of God.

"My state name," Ed turned sharply to him, saying this as if reading his brother's mind. "When I was a State Alchemist and worked for the military…was my State Name 'Fullmetal Alchemist?'" he asked urgently. His brother's eyes widened; that was another detail he had left out and, yet, the elder already knew. He nodded once.

"Am I still a member of the military?" he asked nervously. Al shook his head.

"You quit a while ago but they let you keep the watch," before he could continue, his brother ran off towards the house. He quickly transmuted his arm back to normal and ran to the front door, his boots pounding, hard, on the earth beneath him. He ran right past Winry, almost knocking her over, but not giving her a second glance. The Alchemist slid to a stop in the living room and looked up to the stairwell.

Hastily, he ran up the stairs and went straight to his room. He looked around for the pants he had been wearing the day he returned because he remembered something. To his pleasure, it was on his bed. He grabbed the black pants and pulled out a silver pocket watch from the first pocket he searched, as if he knew it would be there. He held the metal object in his flesh hand and stared at the design on it.

He supposed that was the insignia of the military. Pressing the smallish button on the side, the top popped open and Ed stared, his eyes widening. Written in scratched metal on the back of the cover was something:

_Don't Forget 3 Oct. 11. _The moment he read the words, his eyes dazed and he went into a paralysis state as a vision played in his head...

_Flames and the smell of smolder. That was all he could feel. His wide, golden eyes stared at the building as he threw the last torch into the already-wild flame. The wind would blow it out soon, leaving nothing but ashes, ghosts, and memories. There was no saving it now; it was torched completely. Its ashes would stay there, undisturbed until Mother Nature took it away herself. _

_The young teen looked down and grabbed his suitcase off the ground. Turning on a heel, he and his armor suit of a brother walked towards the towns train station. He could hear Winry crying behind quietly but he dare not look back; it'd be too hard to leave if he did. His eyes felt and looked cold and empty; emotionless as he walked down the path of dirt in front of him. There was no turning back now; he would succeed and fulfill his goal; getting his brother's body back and his own limbs. _

_Everything was ripped away from him; his Godforsaken father left him when he was a mere baby and his mother, his sweet mother, died of a mysterious illness that came over her. Ed had made the decision to burn the house. He had made the decision to take the steps he took towards the station. He had made the decision to…_

That was when he snapped out of it and immediately wondered what that last thing was. The last thing he had decided to do. What could it have been? He felt two other presences in the room and he looked to his door and could see Winry and Al standing there. He glared; not at them, but a glare that said, nay, _demanded,_ _I want answers!_

"The date on this watch," he seethed as he showed the two blondes the silver watch. "What happened that day?" he commanded. Al and Winry's eyes widened simultaneously and they looked to each other curiously.

"Well…" Al said, thinking of a way to say it gently. Ed came up to him and glared further.

"Spit it out!" he ordered with blazing eyes. Al's eyes widened at his brother's sudden ferocity. Nevertheless, he answered.

"We…burned down our house," he said quietly. The elder Elric rook a step back and then looked to the ground, thoughtfully.

"Flames," he mumbled, remembering the fire from his vision. He, quickly, walked over to his window and looked out; he could see the very hill that the vision had provided; there was something dark lying upon it. He frowned and then ran out of the room once more, barking at Al and Winry to move out of his way before he pushed past them, almost knocking them over. The elder ran down the stairs, jumping the last few to save time. His friend and younger sibling were immediately hot on his trail.

Soon, they reached the one place they predicted Ed would go to; the burnt ashes of his former home. The elder Alchemist, of which, slid to a stop before the dark, decaying remains. Winry and Al noticed that most of his muscles seemed to drop as his shoulders fell and his arms hanged, limply, at his sides. They couldn't see his face but his golden orbs were wide and nervous; he realized something important then; the dream and vision were things that happened to him, his lost memories. It was incredible and disturbing at once.

Carefully, Ed took a step forward, onto the black matter of long-time smoldering ashes and remains of everything that once was. Eventually, he stood in the very center of where the building used to stand. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, entering a new state of paralysis and a new vision. When he opened his eyes again, the house was standing again. Its furnishings were clean and well-kept.

He looked around the room and the laughter of small children filled his ears. In his vision, he walked to where the laughs were coming from and made it to a living room. In the room were two young boys, no older than five or six years old. One of them, he noted, looked like himself while the other looked like Alphonse. They were drawing strange circles on pieces of paper and cloth; the circles were perfect in shape and, within them, were strange markings; each had a different one of which.

"Boys!" a soft, scolding voice asked. Ed's head snapped up, as did the heads of the two younger boys. From another room walked in a woman with chestnut hair and soft, grayish, green eyes. She was wearing a lilac sundress with a white apron over it. She had a motherly aura about her.

"What're you two doing?" Ed suspected that he could not be seen and simply observed.

The two children laughed and looked to the woman. "You know that plant you have that's about to die?" the young Ed asked in a cute, childish voice. The woman tilted her head curiously, insisting the young one to continue. Alphonse was the next one to perk up.

"We want to show you something we learned," he said and then ran off. He came back, moments later, holding a small potted plant in his little hands. He came forward and placed the plant upon one of the circles on the ground.

"Watch this!" the young Edward said happily as he and his brother knelt down in front of the plant. Simultaneously, the two placed their palms on the spherical design and a light-blue glow began to envelope them. In seconds, it died down. The elder Ed looked to the plant and was surprised to see that it was vibrant in its color and standing upright, tall and proud. His eyes widened, as did the eyes of the chestnut-haired woman.

"Boys, that's very good!" the woman said happily as she knelt down in front of them and looked to her plant. "Maybe you two could help me with my planting now!" she said humorously as she smiled at the two. The younger boys' eyes seemed to glow. They quickly wrapped her in a hug, saying she was the best. The woman smiled.

"My sweet boys," she cooed. "My sweet sons." Ed's eyes widened and the darker part of them shrunk to the size of a needle. This woman…she was his mother. It was then that he truly got out of his paralyzed state and opened his eyes to see that he was still standing in the center of his former home.

He looked around; the beautiful colors that had surrounded him in his vision were lost and his eyes were met with cold, darkness of the past and whispers in the air. He turned around and could see Winry and Al standing there, not daring to come any closer to him. His eyes stiffened and he bowed his head, holding an unreadable aura about him as his bangs shadowed his eyes.

"Where is she?" he said in monotone, no emotion whatsoever. The two blondes gave him an odd look.

"Where's who?" Al asked curiously.

"The woman," Ed muttered dangerously as he looked up finally. "The woman with chestnut hair and grayish, green eyes. The woman who was my mother; where is she?" he ordered silently. Winry and Al glanced at each other before looking back to him, sadly.

"Brother, I don't,"—"_Where is she!?_" Ed hissed at him. Without any further questions, Al became stern and turned on a heel.

"Follow me."

F----------------M----------------A

Ed was surprised, and also anxious, when Al and Winry led him to the town's cemetery. Nevertheless, he silently followed and waited to see what he had coming. Soon, they reached a tombstone and Al stepped out of the way, giving his elder a sad look. Ed's eyes remained stern as he walked forward and soon stood in front of the tombstone. He looked down at it; the thing had suffered a bit from time's weathering. It was dirty here and there and had some moss growing at the base but the green had not yet covered any of the words.

Speaking of the words, Ed immediately scanned the gray stone. The more he read, the less tension was seen in his eyes as he began to frown sadly. He continued reading before finally reaching the bottom.

_A loving mother and gentle woman, may her soul find peace. _

Ed stared at it for a moment longer before bowing his head and letting his golden hair create a curtain before his eyes. Miserably and feeling as pathetic and low as dirt, he allowed himself to fall to his knees.

"Mom," he mumbled quietly before burying his face in his hands and crying lightly, but crying for the first time in years. Winry and Al were immediately at his sides, consoling his shaking form as best they could. Winry even hugged him, trying her very hardest to make him feel better. It was terrible to see him like this; what's worse was knowing that this was the pain he had already lived through once…but sadly didn't remember it to be able to hold in his emotions.

F----------------M----------------A

**A/N: **Please R&R, constructive criticism, no flames. Thanks.


	6. Unwanted Memories

_**Lost Memories**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own _FMA _In Any Way.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language and Angst.

**A/N: **Sorry about the angst in the last chapter. I understand it was pretty harsh but I feel kind of bad for making a few tears shed :( anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Warning, there's more angst D:

F----------------M----------------A

For the next few days, the Rockbell house was in silence. The sound of feet against the hardwood and the small clangs of metal were the only things to be heard. Ed only seemed to speak when it was important, such as a want for food or the occasional question about a one of his dreams or visions. Aside from that, it was like he was a ghost. He had also been suffering from the worst of his memories, but keeping those things hush-hush.

Ed had also taken the habit of leaving the house during the afternoon and not returning until much later. When Winry and Al asked him about it, he would just reply with a monotone 'out,' or 'nowhere.' Winry and the younger Elric chose not to pressure him, seeing as he had been on edge for a while now. They didn't understand why he had become that way. But Ed did.

Edward had become so jumpy for one reason and one reason only; he couldn't tell reality from his nightmares anymore. The nightmares were terrible; they felt so real. He could feel the punches being thrown into his jaw and the jabs of pain in his sides as blood poured through his lips, stomach and his head. When he'd wake up, he'd just find out that he was dropped into another dream where everything went wrong and went from bad to worse. He was lost when he'd truly wake up and felt like a stranger to everything and everyone around him.

It had really gotten to the point where paranoia was all that was left in his mind. He was always nervous, always wondering if someone was watching or following him; just waiting for him to slip up and let his guard down. That'd be the moment they'd make him their prey, leaving him to lie lifeless in a warm pool of his own crimson, thick blood. His body would be cold and his face would be pale; his eyes would be dazed and empty. He'd be a cold shell of nothingness.

He wouldn't allow that to happen. Even if it meant barking and growling orders of 'get away from me!' to those he should care for, he wouldn't allow these figments of his mind to try and destroy him. The only comfort the teen seemed to receive was from the silent tombstone of his deceased mother. That's where he'd leave off to, after all. He would just sit there, hugging his knees into his chest as he read the tombstone again and again, thinking the words would somehow switch or that it was all a lie.

But it wasn't a lie. It was real; it was _all_ real. From the nightmares he had, to the incoherencies he'd mutter to himself, it was real. The nightmares were his memories; therefore they _had_ indeed occurred some point in his life. The incoherencies, however, were just him inflicting pain on himself.

That was all that he could do now; according to what he had seen in his horrific dreams, he had been a horrible and terribly pathetic excuse for a human. He'd snap at people and didn't like to be accompanied, unless it was his brother. He made Winry cry in more that one occasion and never seemed to apologize for it. He was pathetic; a tiny, pathetic, insignificant human being who shouldn't even be alive.

F----------------M----------------A

The next day had gone the same as the past few days; in silence. Ed occupied himself by doing some reading up in his room, alone. By the afternoon, he had left, as usual. Winry had tried to convince him not to leave, seeing as the sky had been turning grey that day and she suspected rain was on its way. Ed shrugged her off and hissed his usual demand.

"Leave me alone!" Winry was left behind, saddened and ignored by the same person. She was really starting to miss the old Ed; the Ed that controlled himself and didn't snap as harshly as he did now. He had changed so much since he first arrived. She used to like the amnesic Ed; he was adorable and did little things that made Winry blush or giggle.

Now, he was a like a complete stranger to her. He replied heatedly to both her and his own brother. His edginess seemed to grow with each passing day, making him _extremely _difficult to get close to. Even when she eventually checked his Automail, he was fidgety and had tense eyes as he watched her fixedly, apparently waiting and urging her to finish, ASAP. His eyes; they used to be something she treasured deeply. But now, they only brought pain and torment.

The Sun was about to set as Winry passed by the kitchen and looked out a nearby window. The sky had become darker and Winry could even feel the vibrations of thunder in the far off distance. She suddenly wondered if Ed would be returning soon; as much as she wanted to dislike him for his recent actions, she couldn't help but worry for that very reason. As paranoid as he is, there were things that not even he could sense coming his way. She shuddered at the thought.

She supposed she should go out and try to find him. She stepped upstairs and walked into her room. Changing into a white tank-top and black mini-skirt, boots, and jacket, she headed out. She first checked the burnt ashes of the Elric's former home. To her dismay, he was not there. She asked around to the few people who were walking around and many of her replies were the same.

"I saw him heading to the cemetery." So that's where she headed. Soon, she was standing before the entrance of the cemetery. It began to drizzle lightly but then quickly changed and was pouring. She began running and headed to the one place she knew the teen would be; his mother's grave. Unsurprisingly, he was sitting there, hugging his knees and breathing steadily.

_So this is where he's been off to, _she thought, being grateful to know where the boy had been leaving to everyday. Carefully, she walked up to him. Eventually, she stood only a few feet behind him. She took a step forward.

"Who's there!?" Ed demanded as he turned around, his eyes blazing and his eyes tensed up with suspicion. Winry took a step back; worried the Elric would do something without thinking. But he didn't. Instead, his eyes lessened in stress and widened.

"W-Winry," he stuttered anxiously. "What're you doing here?" he asked curiously. The Rockbell sighed and looked down.

"I was…worried about you; the sky got darker and…well, you know the rest…" she explained, referring to the pouring rain around them. Ed shrugged and turned back to the tombstone.

"Just go home, Winry…" he told her, sternly but only speaking loud enough for Winry to hear him over the pelting downpour. The mechanic's eyes drooped sadly; she couldn't _possibly_ leave him here, alone in the dark with such heavy rain and anything could happen. So she didn't. She walked up next to him and fell to her knees at his side, rainwater dripping down her skin and damp hair. Edward didn't protest, which somewhat surprised her.

It stayed silent between them as the cold water fell and hit their skins, hard. Ed's eyes stayed, attentively, at the stone before him. Water dripped from a strand of his hair, constantly with another drop ready to fall after the last fell. Liquid came down the sides of his face and fell between the center of his face and then down his cheeks, only to fall down onto his arms which were wrapped around his one propped up leg while the other lay outstretched before him. Every negative emotion known to man could be seen across his face.

Depression, anger, desperateness, hatred…loneliness…it was all there, clearly evident on his stern face.

"Ed…" Winry whispered nervously. The other teen only shrugged, indicating she continue. "We…we should probably go home; it's getting cold…" she told him in a small voice.

"Leave if you want then," Ed told her. The Rockbell shrugged sadly.

"I can't leave you here; it's too dangerous," she explained.

"Whether or not you stay is your choice, not mine," The blonde Elric told her in a plain tone of voice. Winry growled lowly and crossed her arms. It fell silent once more as the rain was the only company to the quiet. Soon, Winry learned to become accustomed to the quiet, feeling that she wouldn't get much out of Ed. Suddenly, though; he perked up with a strange question.

"What was she like?" he asked without looking to her. Winry's eyes widened a bit and she looked to him.

"Who?" she questioned curiously.

"My mom," he stated. "What was she like…? Personality-wise, that is," he explained. Thunder roared over them but Ed didn't flinch. Winry jumped a bit before sighing and looking down to her hands, thoughtfully.

"She was," se began, finally getting Ed to look up to her. "She was kind and sweet. She never seemed to leave a person in their time of need. She loved you and Al very much, and acted like a mother to me when I lost my parents." This certainly sparked Edward's interest as his eyes drooped a bit.

"You…lost your parents?" he questioned carefully. Winry hugged herself and looked to the ground. They could both feel the rain begin to let up a bit.

"It happened when I was only ten or eleven…they were off to this war and were working as doctors…they were killed through a surprise attack…" she mumbled sadly. She heard Ed shrug.

"I'm sorry," he offered, trying to sound sympathetic. Winry only continued with what she was previously saying.

"Your mom was generous," she told him. "She forced herself to keep going even after your dad walked out on you guys. When you and your brother started learning Alchemy, she supported you and was so proud to say that her boys learned Alchemy at such an early age…but it's also what caused her to get so sick." Ed's eyes widened and he shot his head to her; this was one of those eerie questions he wanted desperately answered.

"See, your dad was also an Alchemist," Winry explained. "So, when you and Al started learning and teaching yourselves, she remembered her husband, and how much she loved him," she sighed sadly and the rain seemed to be retreating, finally. "Even though he left, she still loved him and couldn't let go…you and Al brought back so many memories…she eventually got really sick…and died." Ed watched as the Rockbell hugged herself tightly. He then looked to the ground and let his hair shadow his eyes.

His hands clenched into fists and he punched a flesh fist into the ground beside him. He turned to her sharply, anger in his eyes and raindrops falling down his eyes. Winry wondered if it really was rain…or his tears.

"Are you saying that it's _my fault_ my mom died!?" he demanded angrily yet his voice also cracked slightly. Winry's eyes widened nervously and she faced him.

"No, Ed, of course not!" she told him fretfully.

"But you just told me that, once Alphonse and I started teaching ourselves Alchemy, she eventually got sick! And then, if that wasn't enough, she dies!" he snapped back immediately, his eyebrows tensing uneasily.

"Ed, that's not what I,"—"_No!_" the Elric cut her off angrily as his eyes glared at her and he stood to his feet.

"I can't take this anymore! I'm tired of being so confused and thinking someone, or _something_, is trying to kill me! If my past was so tormenting…" his vice trailed off. His fists clenched tightly at his sides, as did his golden orbs from the frustration.

"Than I don't want to know who I was…" he said firmly. Winry's eyes widened and she quickly got to her feet as Ed began to walk off.

"Ed, you don't…you _can't_ mean that!" she pleaded sadly. The Alchemist stopped and sighed, looking at her over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Winry," he whispered. "But, as of right now, Edward Elric's life never existed…I'm just another person with the same name." With that, he turned back and tried to continue walking. Soon, though, Winry ran up to him and grabbed his arm, almost making him fall over.

"You can't be saying that, Ed! You can't! Please, you can't make this decision and leave me and Al like this!" she begged as small tears escaped her eyes and she held the teen by his flesh arm tightly. Ed sighed again and looked over his shoulder once more to her.

"You're a good friend, Winry," he told her, but in a stern, low voice. "But you're just something else Edward and I had in common," harshly, he pulled his arm away from her and continued glaring. Before turning around fully and leaving, he told her exactly what he had told her minutes ago.

"I'm just another person with the same name."

F----------------M----------------A

**A/N: **Whoa, look out drama O.o this story, I feel, just took a very interesting turn XD Please R&R, constructive criticism, no flames ;) thanks!


	7. An Offer That Can't Be Refused

_**Lost Memories**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own _FMA _In Any Way.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language and Angst.

**A/N: **Thanks for all your reviews, guys! ;) Hope you enjoy!

F----------------M----------------A

Winry suddenly felt the rain coming back. It started pouring again and she quickly ran over to Ed, who had managed to walk several meters away from her.

"Oh look," Ed whispered quietly as he felt the girl behind him. "The rain's back again," he stated plainly. "The weather really is an odd thing, isn't it?" Winry raised a brow at this as she and the Elric continued walking.

"Even if it doesn't affect one region, it's constantly changing; revolving, getting stronger in some places and weaker in others," he explained as he shoved his hands into pockets and lowered his head, closing his eyes and letting the cold rain slide down his face. He was referring to it being similar to the way his memories had been working lately; some got stronger while others remained idle or weak. Winry, though, wondered why he was giving this lecture but chose not to question. Ed stayed silent and continued, slowly walking with Winry behind him. The walk was feeling long as the sound of rain pelting on the soil was all to be heard.

They walked in silence. Winry's eyes were sad and thoughtful. Ed was as lost as he had ever been; he knew this had been a drastic decision but he was tired. Tired of getting his questions answered, only to come up with more questions; he was tired of being so confused and frustrated. He was tired of being paranoid with everything and everyone around him.

He was tired of Edward Elric's life.

F----------------M----------------A

Once again, the Rockbell home had gone back to complete silence. Ed had broken the routine of leaving to his mothers grave and replaced it with sparring with Al. He had seen himself fight in more than one occasion in his dreams and felt he should practice those skills and keep them fresh, just in case. He forced himself to stay busy with just about anything, seeing as he always wanted to be away from everyone. Sparring was one of those things, seeing as, whether he'd win or not, the two would either go for another round or he would leave to do something else.

Soon, Ed had gotten better; better then he ever was. Even without Alchemy, his hand-to-hand combat skills had developed significantly. Al was always wary when sparring with him, seeing as he had gotten quicker and he pulled a lot of aerial stunts to get away and used his agility to his advantage. As easily as he dodged attacks, he also dealt them. Of course, it being Al, Ed was careful not to pull his full strength on him.

Winry had even taken to watching them every so often. When her chores could be ignored or she had nothing to do, she would sit and watch them. It amazed her at how well the two fought. Al, who she had always seen as a very sweet and innocent young man, learned that he could just as easily be an aggressive fighting machine. She knew he would never turn on her but it was incredible all the techniques the young Alchemist used when battling it out. Watching them spar, however, had made her more cautious of Ed.

With the elder brother being so hostile lately, she let her mind wander into all the terrible things Ed could do to those around him. As much as she wanted to think that he wouldn't do that, there was always a little voice in the back of her head that said he probably would if he was extremely angry. She always shuddered as she heard that voice, especially since it sounded a lot like Ed, except in an evil, maniacal tone. She hated thinking of him that way, mainly because he had never really done anything to try and hurt her. If he ever did, it was usually because it was an accident or because he was trying to protect her in one way or another.

The two Elric's had just finished their most recent sparring tournament, which Winry had been watching from the porch. Ed was leaning his palms on his knees as he panted for breath, as was Al, who was struggling to stay standing, though. Al had lost this time; Ed had ducked as Al was throwing a punch. Then, the elder brother swiped his Automail leg, making Alphonse fall. It didn't really surprise the younger, seeing as had lost a few times already. Not to mention, Ed never beat him when the younger was in a suit of armor so he figured he could let the teen have his moment.

Ed's heavy breathing suddenly stopped as he slowly opened his eyes. He could sense someone coming towards the residence, even without looking up or around him. He felt that Al had his eyes closed and wasn't paying attention, still trying to catch his lost breath. Edward, however, continued concentrating. He _knew_ someone was coming.

He stood up fully and straightened out his back as his clenched his fists and looked to the dirt path. As he predicted, a person could be seen heading towards them.

"Alphonse?" he questioned. Al looked up at him.

"Yeah?" he replied back.

"Who's that?" his brother asked of him, his eyes not leaving the form coming to them. Al straightened himself out as well and looked to the figure. He squinted but soon saw the person more clearly. It was a male, about Ed's height and had black hair, styled like Ed's except with only one bang hanging over the right side of his face and was loose, being about the same length as his brother's. His eyes were wide and stern, shaped a bit like Ed's as well but were jet-black in color.

This mysterious form was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt, gloves, and leather pants like Ed's, and combat boots of the same color with red linings.

_Why does he look so much like Ed? _Al immediately questioned himself as he tensed slightly.

"I don't…I don't know…" he replied finally. He heard his older brother shrug unpleasantly and he looked to him. "What is it?" he asked.

"I just got a weird feeling about this guy…like I know him or something," Ed replied quietly but sternly. Al widened his eyes a bit; he had never seen this person before…how could Ed know him and not him? Especially if Ed barely had his memories, how _would_ he know?

"Get back," the Elder Alchemist suddenly ordered quietly. Al didn't press the matter and simply followed the command. He backed up a few feet but stayed cautious. Winry saw the mysterious newcomer and carefully got off the seat she was sitting on and came to Al's side.

"Who is that?" she questioned. Al shrugged his shoulders, indicating he didn't know.

"Who are you?" Ed's suspicious voice demanded from the mysterious young man; as well as looking like him, he also suspiciously looked around the same age as Edward. The black-haired man didn't reply but continued glaring, his onyx eyes digging a hole straight through Ed's very being. Ed, of which, snarled at him and narrowed his eyes.

"Answer me, damn it!" he commanded heatedly. Finally, the person spoke.

"You are Edward Elric, yes?" his voice was even like Ed's, except with another dark, intimidating voice behind it. The Elric's eyes widened slightly.

"Yeah, so what?" he asked. The black-eyed teen bowed his head, his eyes being shadowed over. He started laughing quietly but it soon grew into an uproar of mocking laughter. His head shot up, his eyes closed, as he laughed and placed his hands on his hips. Ed sweated nervously from the side of his face.

"What the hell's so funny!?" his voice was filled with resentment as his fists clutched tightly. Soon, the other teen's laughter subsided but he grinned confidently at the blonde Elric before him, keeping his hands at his hips.

"I just recently heard that you're one badass fighter, excuse the bluntness," he replied finally. Ed raised a brow, as did Al and Winry. "You see," the jet-black-eyed teen began once more. "I, myself, enjoy a good brawl every now and so often. Once I heard about how great you were, I had to know if it was true or just another wild goose chase. I like to get into fights and such; I'm pretty well-known for leaving people with no dignity whatsoever," he explained, a sense of pride as he explained. Edward tensed slightly as he continued.

"I heard you were one of the best fighters out there, seeing as you were once part of the military and they greatly valued your hand-hand combat and CQC skills. They say you would leave a man bleeding heavily with just one blow," he lowered his head, closing his eyes and grinning. "Seeing as I found you, I have a proposition for you," he stated without looking up. Ed looked over his shoulder for a moment to his mechanic and brother.

"What do you want?" he asked guardedly as he looked back to the other teen. The black-clothed boy chuckled once before opening his eyes and looking to him without moving his face up.

"Perfect." His voice was quiet but menacing. "Mr. Elric," he began, finally looking up with a cooler voice. He walked up to Ed, back straight and standing proud. "The Great Fullmetal Alchemist, the Military's Child Prodigy," he walked slow circles around the blonde teen, almost as if he was pressuring him into this and sizing him up.

"And, not to mention, the State's former Dog." He was standing behind Ed now, his arms held behind his back. Edward shrugged, unpleasantly, as he told him this. The black-haired young man walked back in front of him, smiling dangerously. Winry and Al tensed and both had the same thing going through their minds.

_What's this guy doing? _

"Nevertheless," the mysterious newcomer said. "This is my proposition. Edward, I'm prepared to offer you everything and anything you've ever dreamed of," he stated. Ed's eyes shot up to him.

"Define 'dreamed,' of," he stated sternly. The other teen laughed quietly.

"Silly Alchemist," he mumbled before replying. "I mean your desires; anything you want," he explained as he began circling Ed once more. When he was standing behind him, he placed both hands on the blonde Alchemist's shoulders in a buddy-buddy manner. Ed's eyes strayed over his shoulder to him.

"Whatever you want; fame, fortune," the mysterious young man moved to his side, slipping his fingers off Ed's other shoulder. "Women," he smirked as he said it and Ed was trying to maintain his composure. Winry was resisting every fiber of her being to scream at this stranger. The newcomer, of which, slipped his hands completely off Ed's shoulder and walked in front of him, his back facing him.

"You can have it all," he stated lowly. "If," he sharply looked over his shoulder to them. "You beat me in a brawl right here, right now. Alchemy allowed, first one to give in loses," he stated. The elder Elric tensed.

"What if I lose?" he muttered, both anxious and irate. A malicious grin slipped onto the young man's face and he slowly turned around.

"You get nothing. You lose all dignity in you and your pride will be destroyed. I, on the other hand, do ask for something in return, of course," he replied.

"What, stabbing my pride and making me lose my dignity isn't enough for you?" Ed asked as he raised a brow curiously. The onyx-eyes teen's grin disappeared and he glared. Ed's eyes widened.

"I'll take that as a no…" he mumbled anxiously.

"I also ask that, if I win, I get a date with the lovely blonde Misses over there," he stated a she looked over to Winry and briefly looked her up and down, obviously inspecting her beautiful form. The blonde Elric's eyes widened and he looked over his shoulder to the Rockbell mechanic. He snarled as he realized what the man meant. Sure, although he had been aggressive towards Winry and Al recently, that didn't mean he didn't like them. When he first saw Winry, he had immediately taken a liking to her; mainly because he thought she was pretty. Of course, even now, those feelings had grown after he found out how sweet and kind she was.

Swiftly, he turned back to the ebony-haired teen.

"No deal!" he replied heatedly. Hell, just because _he_ had most likely lost his chance with Winry, didn't mean this _creep_ could have her.

"Oh, snippy," the other replied playfully. "C'mon, Edward; you win this fight and you get everything you'd ever want. All I'm asking for is a little date," he explained. "Be reasonable; I know I'm being far more reasonable than any other off you'd be given." Ed's eyes widened and tensed a bit. Although the other was right, he still had to feel for Winry. He was sure Winry wouldn't go on a date with that outsider but…everything ever desired…it seemed too good to be real.

If only he knew.

After thinking about it for a moment, he looked back to the mysterious man.

"Fine," he told him. "You're on." Winry's eyes widened and she glared at the elder brother of Alphonse.

_That…that pathetic little waste! _She thought heatedly.

"_Edward!_" she seethed. Ed's head snapped back to see her. His eyes widened as he saw that the girl's eyes were _boiling _with anger and her fists were clenched tightly.

"How can you do this to me, Ed!? I thought you'd back me up in this kind of situation!" she demanded, her voice raging with hatred.

"Don't worry, Winry," he told her sternly but quietly. "I won't let him win." With that, he turned back to his opponent and glared somewhat. "I'm ready when you are," he told him. "But, could you please tell me your name before we begin?" he asked. The onyx-eyed teen laughed quietly to himself.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he asked before swiftly clapping his hands together, creating the echoing sound of his hands connecting. Rapidly, he bent down and placed a palm on the ground. From behind, a blinding light began to form and Ed immediately shielded his eyes with his metal arm. Al did the same and held Winry in his arms to protect her. Eventually, the light died down and the trio looked back to the mysterious young man.

Ed's eyes widened nervously at what he saw before him; it was something he had seen in more than one of his nightmares. Winry was in complete awe but also scared for her life, and the lives of Al and Ed. Al was almost too scared to move or speak, but he did.

"The Gate," he whispered quietly. It seemed that the newcomer had transported them there.

"We'll fight in my battlefield," the black-haired teen said suddenly and all eyes were on him. "Edward Elric, I'd like to introduce you to The Gate," he stated as he looked back to the huge double doors and then back to the Elric. "Anytime a body part or soul is lost through Alchemy, it comes here. Along with anything else that could be sacrificed or lost naturally," he explained as he brought a hand to his hip. "This is The Truth."

Ed was still shocked and he suddenly regretted taking up the stranger's offer, no matter how good it seemed at the time.

"Who _are_ you?" he asked nervously, wondering if he really wanted to hear a reply. The other teen chuckled quietly and brought his left hand over him, snapping it once. The moment the sound ringed through the area, the huge double doors behind him exploded open and black forms of all shapes and sizes came out and wrapped their hands around him. In seconds, nothing could be seen but it seemed that these figures were removing things from the stranger. When they finally finished, they retreated back into the doors' darkness; the doors remained open.

The trio was shocked at who they saw before them. The once black-hair that had inhabited the other teen's was replaced with long, golden hair which was loose with bangs on both sides of his face. The previous jet-black eyes were now swapped with stunning eyes the same color of his hair. His long-sleeve shirt had been removed, showing his powerful bare chest and revealing that he had a right Automail arm, the same as Ed's to be exact. His gloves were taken and he was only wearing his black leather pants with the combat boots. His pants, though, had the left pant leg ripped off to the knee, showing that he had an Automail leg, again, just like Ed's. Not to mention, he_ looked_ just like Ed.

"Edward," the dark menacing voice that had once echoed behind was gone, only the voice of Ed was there now. "I'm what you sacrificed to get your brother's body back," he stated firmly. "I was sent here, along with everything else that's been sacrificed or lost." His voice became low as he brought his metallic hand to his hip, locking said hip to his side, and lowered his head, closing his eyes and frowning irately. "Edward…" he began once more.

"I am your lost memories."

F----------------M----------------A

**A/N: **Again, I feel this has taken a _very _interesting turn XD I hope you guys are enjoying :) I swear, I think this is, by far, my most dramatic story yet X'D Please R&R, constructive criticism, no flames ;) thanks!


	8. Your Worst Enemy

_**Lost Memories**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own _FMA _In Any Way.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language and Angst.

**A/N: **I'm glad you all like the story so far! ;)

F----------------M----------------A

Ed was shocked, to say the least. His memories? How could this even be possible? Yes, he had sacrificed them but how could they be here before him? Taking his form and looking like a living, breathing human being? He gulped silently to himself and felt his arm tremble a bit.

Ed's memories temporarily ignored his body and looked over to Al and Winry. He smiled at them, lovingly.

"Al…Winry," he said contently and the two smiled back somewhat, like they were seeing an old friend for the first time in a long while. "It's good to see you two again; I'm glad you're in your rightful body, Alphonse," he told them. "And Winry." As he uttered her name, the blonde Rockbell looked up to him and blushed a light pink.

"Yeah, Ed?" she asked anxiously. The memory form laughed quietly before smiling to her once more.

"Just missed you…it's really good to see you again," he smiled at her once more before looking back to his body and glaring angrily. "You, not so much," he stated heatedly. Ed's body widened his eyes a bit but said nothing.

"I've seen what you've been doing to Winry and my little brother…how _dare_ you treat them the way you did? What damn right did you have?" the memories of Edward demanded quietly as he clenched his fists. Ed gulped.

"H-how…did you know? And, if you're my memories…how is it that I have a few memories already?" he asked nervously. Ed's memories, now to be known as Edward, laughed quietly and shook his head.

"Good questions," he replied before beginning once more. "First, I know what you've been doing because The Gate's been letting me keep an eye on you; quite frankly, I don't like what I've been seeing. Second, you have a few memories already because I've been giving them back to you. Every time you fell asleep, I secretly gave back a little of what you sacrificed. It was difficult to do it without The Gate knowing but I did." He stopped suddenly as The Gate behind him suddenly let out a loud yell, as if it was angry at him.

"Get over yourself!" Edward called back to it. "You should've known Edward Elric would try and figure something out anyway," he chuckled quietly a she said it. "As for your visions," he turned back to his body, now to be known as Ed. "You had to be in a place where things had already occurred to you. The burned house, for example; you had spent some of your childhood there so I was able to give you a memory from the past through a vision."

Ed was beyond shock now; he was astonished. As much as he wanted to believe this may have been another dream, he didn't. This had to be real; this was his chance, too. He could fight for what he desires; his memories.

"So…what's the deal now?" he asked, trying to sound strong. Edward looked back for a moment and then looked to Al and Winry.

"I'm sorry guys," he told them sadly. "But this is between me and him." After he said it, he launched his left hand out towards them. In turn, The Gate behind him shot a few several hands out and grabbed the two teens.

"Alphonse, Winry! NO!" Ed turned around frantically and ran towards the two nervously.

"Not so fast!" Edward demanded and another hand shot out and grabbed the blonde look-alike by his waist before he could reach his brother and friend. The long, black arm held him above the ground as the Elric struggled to get free.

"Al, Winry!" Ed called out worriedly.

"Ed!" his mechanic called back, struggling to get free as well as she looked to her friend.

"Winry, I'll fix this! I promise! I'll get out of this!" he told her quickly, trying to not make her worry. Edward looked behind him to The Gate and swiped a hand through his neck. The arms holding Al and Winry suddenly threw them. As they were about to fall completely, a portal opened and they fell through it. That was when Ed was released from his hold; he immediately ran to the portal but, when he reached it, it closed shut.

He began looking around for an exit or another doorway but his eyes were met with nothing. Nothing but emptiness and complete blankness; the nothingness that the mysterious Gate resided in. He fell to his knees, unsure of what to do. He bowed his head, his bangs shadowing his eyes and his shoulders trembling.

"Ed!" Edward called out demandingly. The Elric's body didn't move from his position. "Get up! I have to explain how this brawl is going to work," he ordered. It stayed silent for a few moments before Ed suddenly growled lowly. Angrily, he looked over his shoulder to his memories.

"You," he seethed as he stood up and faced the blonde. "Why the hell did you do that!? What if I never see them again!?" he demanded. Edward was unfazed.

"Here are the new rules to this fight," he continued as if the other Ed hadn't been so heated. "Alchemy is allowed; first one to give in loses. If you win, you,"—"did you not hear me!?" Ed suddenly cut him off and took a step closer.

"What if I never get outta here!? You best have a good reason for trapping me!" he stated irately as his fists clenched. Edward sighed, annoyed. He walked over to the other Elric until he was only a few feet in front of him. The two glared at each other, pure hatred burning in their determined eyes. Suddenly, Edward pulled back his metal fist and quickly punched his body in the jaw.

Before Ed could fall, though, Edward caught him by the collar of his black tank top and pulled him off his feet as he stared into his eyes. Blood slipped through the side of the teen's lips and his eyes were shaking.

"You listen to me," Edward demanded, his grip on his body's shirt tightening. "If you win this fight, you'll live and be set free and get back your memories. You lose, however," his voice became low and severe as his glare intensified. "You'll still be let free…but _I_ will be destroyed and you'll lose all chances of ever getting your memory back…I arranged this with The Gate so you only have this chance…do I make myself clear?" he demanded. Ed grimaced but nodded, nonetheless; he had one chance. He _needed_ to win or he'd _never_ get his memories back.

"Good," Edward replied before letting the teen go, letting him fall to the ground below him. "Now get up and fight me," he demanded. Swiftly, he leaned down a bit and jumped back a good five to eight feet, placing himself in fighting stance and waiting for his opponent. Ed shrugged irately but stood up nonetheless. He licked the blood on his lips away before standing in fighting stance, ready to defend or attack; which ever the situation called for.

It stayed silent for a few moments. The Elric look-alikes simply glared into each others eyes, wondering if the fire in the other would go out soon. They both wondered who should attack first. Soon, though, their common impatience came into play and the two simply charged towards each other. Ed tried to pull in a punch with his metal arm but Edward easily ducked.

The memory-holder swiped his leg, hoping to make his counterpart fall, but he jumped up before the swipe could be registered. Then, Ed tried to kick his other in the face with a combat boot but the other blonde fighter quickly jumped back before Ed's boot could connect with his face. He suddenly grinned as he remembered something he had once heard.

"What?!" Ed demanded. Edward looked up to him.

"It's just funny," he replied. "This saying I once heard; it's so ironic how it's actually true."

"What do you mean?" Ed asked suspiciously. Edward grinned at him.

"They say that…" he paused for a moment.

"You're your own worst enemy."

F----------------M----------------A

Al and Winry thought they were going to land on the ground but they were thrown into a portal and landed back in front of the Rockbell home. Winry sat up and looked to Al, who was trying to get up himself. She looked back through where she had just fallen and could see Ed running towards them but the portal closed before he could reach them.

"Ed!" she called out but it was too late. "No…" she mumbled sadly. Al sat up finally and looked up; he didn't see an entranceway anymore.

"Dang," he muttered angrily. Winry looked over to him and grabbed him by the collar.

"Al, what's going on!? Where's Ed!?" she pleaded that he answer her. The younger Elric shrugged and looked away.

"Ed's…trapped…in The Gate's world," he replied quietly.

"What the hell does that mean!?" Winry ordered, both irately and sadly.

"The Gate is where all sacrificed and lost things go after they're killed and whatnot. Ed's memories trapped him in there, and probably not for a good reason," he explained. Winry finally let go and slowly pulled away.

"So…" she trailed off miserably. "We'll never see him again?" she could just feel the tears that wanted to escape as the words left her lips.

"I don't know…now that I think about it though, I think his memories wanted to help…but they have to go by The Gate's rules. The way he smiled at us and said that he missed us…he was humble and kinder than any other time I've seen him…he seemed really happy just to be able to see us. He even seemed really sad when he apologized, before-hand, about kicking us outta there. I think they're still going to fight and the prize is Ed's memories." Without knowing it, Al had just figured it out. What he didn't know, though, was what would happen if Ed lost the battle. "So, there might be a chance we can see him again…but I think all we can do now is wait."

"Wait!?" Winry interjected suddenly. "I can't just_ wait_ here! Ed needs our help!" she replied angrily.

"Didn't you hear what his memories said?" Al asked sternly. Winry's eyes widened and she wondered what he meant.

"He said that it was between him and Ed how he is now…this is their battle, Winry; it's Ed's battle to win back what he lost," he told her firmly. Winry's eyes fell, saddened.

"He needs us, Al…even if we can't help him…he just needs us to be there and show our support for him," she whispered sadly. "He'll lose if he loses focus of what's on the line here; especially with how he's been acting." Al's eyes widened and he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes; they trembled at her words. He realized that she was right, though. Whether Ed had his memories or not, he had a tendency to loose focus on everything and just give up when things got bad.

Just like the time with Scar; Ed had lost his arm and, because it looked bad, he fell to his knees and decided that the man could take his life. Suddenly, the younger Elric's eyes shot open; he wouldn't let that happen again. He needed his older brother just as much as his brother needed him. He stood up determinedly.

"I'll see what I can do," he told Winry as he looked down to her. The mechanic looked up to him with sad eyes and it was then that Al realized something else.

_It seems I'm not the only one who needs Ed._

F----------------M----------------A

**A/N: **Please R&R, constructive criticism, no flames ;) thanks! Sorry for the kind of short chapter but they'll get a little longer afterwards, OK :) Anyway, hope you liked!


	9. Edward VS Ed

_**Lost Memories**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own _FMA _In Any Way.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language, Angst, Blood, and Gore.

**A/N:** O…M…G… I apologize _**greatly**_ for the late update. I was off to Orlando for vacation and had no time to update DX Again, very sorry -nervous grin- I'll be willing to make it up to anybody if they ask. OK, it's finally the chapter you're begging for ;) Hope you like.

**WARNING: **Blood and Gore will ensure in this chapter!

F----------------M----------------A

Ed growled lowly before exploding into action once more. He ran towards the keeper of his memories and, right before reaching him, he clapped his hands and placed them on the ground. In turn, the ground beneath Edward began to quickly form into six-foot stone-spikes. Luckily, Edward jumped back and just barely dodged the attack. Then, he clapped his own hands and placed a palm on one of the protruding stone-spikes.

He grinned maliciously at his body as he pulled his hand away, a swords handle held in his fist. Once the sword as pulled out, he stood in fighting stance and he smirked at his opponent. Ed growled and transmuted his Automail into a hand-blade.

"You want metal clashing," he said as the shocks of electricity died down. "You got it." He jumped towards him, about to stab him with the silver blade he had created. Edward, however, pulled his own sword in front of him and blocked the attack, causing sparks to fly as the metal met briefly and disconnected. Ed pulled back and went in for another attack.

For a while, all that could be seen in front of their faces were orange and yellow sparks that fell slightly before fading away. Edward swiped his sword; Ed was too late with blocking and the blade managed to scratch his left cheek. He screamed and pulled back as a flesh hand went to his stinging face. His eyes clenched tight and his teeth gritted. He cracked his golden orbs open and glared at the other Elric before him. Sliding his hand off his face, he went in for another attack.

Swiping his infamous hand-blade, he failed and his arm was met with Edward's blade. However, this time, the two weapons didn't pull away as the two adversaries kept pushing towards each other. Teeth clenched tight and boots gripping to the ground below them, the two Elric's glared into each others burning eyes.

"Do you honestly think you can beat me?" Edward asked suddenly. "I'm everything that ever made you; I'm every fighting technique you know, I'm your memories, pleasant and dreadful alike. I'm the great Fullmetal Alchemist; without me you're just another person with the same name." Ed's eyes widened as he said this but then stared at him irately once more. He pushed hard but Edward kept his composure strong and didn't fall back.

"What about you?" Ed asked back. "You're just a wandering memory-filled form that's looking for the light in The Gate full of darkness over there," he stated. "Without me, you can't roam the earth, unless it's a deal made with The Gate. I know you want me to win this fight because you'll get to see Al and Winry again. I want to win this just as much as you want me to; and, if that's the case, why don't you just let me win?"

Edward laughed quietly to himself. "You son of a bitch."

"Don't insult my mother!" Ed snapped back. Edward became stern.

"She's my mother, too, you ass. And, to answer your other question…" he trailed off and pushed a bit more strength into him; Ed stood his ground. "I can't just _let_ you win," Edward stated. "Because I'm playing by The Gate's rules; I _did_ say that I arranged this," he told his other. "And by arrange, I mean made a deal."

"What are you, The Gate's bit"—Ed stopped short as, suddenly Edward's metal fist punched, harshly, into his stomach, literally leaving him breathless.

"Choose your words carefully around me," Edward warned quietly as he pushed his body away. Ed was pushed back and fell to the ground. He rolled over and got up on his knees and hand-bladeless palm as he tried to catch his breath. His eyes were wide and his heart was threatening to destroy his skeleton. Kneeling down, he transmuted his arm back to normal and coughed a little.

Edward came to his side and kicked him, severely, in said side. Ed was pushed away further as he landed on his left side. He seethed out a breath as he rolled to his other side and held his left side; his memories had just kicked him the rib cage. Edward's kick was so hard that it felt like it had shattered his bones into a million pieces.

"You…damn bastard," he said angrily as he looked over to his challenger.

"Like I haven't heard _that_ before," Edward stated sternly. He walked over to the body as he was kneeling down, apparently preparing to stand. Before he could, though, Edward pulled back his right leg and kicked his opposed in the face. Ed fell to his side once more, his jaw stinging like hell. He forced himself to go on his knees and palms again.

_He's gonna kill me, _he thought nervously.

_I'm gonna die. _

F----------------M----------------A

"Are you sure this'll work?" Winry asked as she watched Al draw a rather large transmutation circle on the ground before her. He could clap his hands and make transmutations like his brother but he said it would be better this way.

"No," the young Elric replied as he was adding a few touches to the four-foot wide circle. "But it's probably the only chance we have," he told her.

"I just hope it works…" Winry mumbled sadly. Al looked over at her through the corner of his grayish eyes. He felt sorry for his friend; he wanted this to work, not only for himself but for Winry, too. He became stern and added the last finishing touches to the circle before them. Its design looked like a maze; several twists and turns along with circles and other odd shapes. There were some words written on the rim and inner parts of it, barely able to be read, though. He came to the mechanic's side and knelt down.

"Ready?" he asked her. Winry looked to him and simply nodded. Al leaned forward and placed both palms, simultaneously, on the circle design. Instantaneously, the blue light of a transmutation took place; small bolts of electricity could be seen and heard about them. Soon, wind began to whirl around. Al stayed firm but Winry grabbed his arm and became wary; there was no telling what the transmutation would do.

Eventually, Winry's eyes widened as she and Al saw a portal open before their eyes.

"It worked," the Rockbell breathed, surprised. Al pulled his hands away from the circle and grabbed Winry's hand.

"On three," he told her. "One…two…three!" He jumped, along with Winry, into the portal. Once they fell through and onto the ground of The Gate's sanctuary, they looked up, immediately, to find Ed. Soon, both their eyes landed upon the two blondes; the shell of a body and the memory-keeper. Edward was looming over a strained Ed, who was on his side, clutching his rib cage and hissing out breaths of pure pain.

"Oh no…" Winry mumbled nervously as she watched them, wondering what the teen's memories would do next; apparently he had already done quite a bit. She wanted to scream out, to beg him not to attack but she knew better; as Al told her, this was _their_ fight. She was in no position nor did she have the right to interfere. All she could do, for now, was sit and pray, hoping no more harm would come to Ed's body. Just sit and wait; something she had already been accustomed to doing.

F----------------M----------------A

Edward took a step closer to his body; the other _needed_ to get up in fight or the powerful kicks would certainly smash his skeleton. He imagined that was what the body was feeling right now; searing pain in his left side as he hoped and prayed that the pain would leave and that another blow wouldn't come. It was a feeling he had already experienced many a time before; Edward should know, he was the memory half, after all. He looked down to the pathetic excuse of a person his body had become. He raised a brow as the teen wouldn't stand.

_He's not fighting back? _He asked himself curiously._ Why not? He needs to, _he thought and then quickly began thinking of way to provoke him and make him stand again and fight. He figured the most he could do now is probably give him another blow; it's possible that he would get angry and finally choose to get up. He pulled back his Automail this time.

"No…" Ed begged desperately. Edward widened his eyes curiously.

"You want me to fight back…I get the point," Ed told him as he brought up a knee and stumbled to his feet. Still holding his side, afraid to let go and collapse, he turned to his adversary but took a few steps back. Bracing himself, he removed his hand from his stinging side. He felt some more blood pour through the right side of his lips. He spat it on the ground, his breath heaving but his eyes burning with rage.

Edward stood still, waiting for whatever trick his other half had planned up his sleeve. Soon, the body had regained most of his breath and he forced himself to stand upright once more and then into a fighting stance. Edward chuckled and smiled at him.

"I can already predict what you're gonna do," he said. "You're gonna charge towards me and fake a punch; my guard will be down so you'll easily pull in a kick while I'm still trying to figure out what happened…is that right?" he asked, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. It certainly made Ed widen his eyes for the umpteenth time that day.

"How…did you know?" he asked; had he truly been so predictable?

"No, you're not predictable," Edward answered, almost as if he was reading his mind. "Remember what I told you, Ed; I am you. I'm everything that made you; every fighting technique, every possible unpredictable explosion of energy…I know them all because I've already lived them," he explained, bringing a hand to his hip but holding a grin on his face. "So, to me, you're _very_ predictable."

Ed became nervous; how could he beat him? He was beginning to believe that everything the memory-keeper said was true; he was nothing without his memories. He was just another person with the same name. The Elric growled lowly; he couldn't accept that. He had to win, even if he was so predictable to his other half. There was too much on the line here that he wasn't willing to lose.

Staying in his current fighting stance, his eyes tensed and his muscles firmed up. Edward stayed, grinning, and with a hand to his locked hip. It fell silent as the two stared at each other, wondering what would happen next. If Ed attacked, he needed to change his tactics; try something completely spontaneous and out of the blue. But he also needed to stay in the norm and be the slightest bit predictable. It felt almost impossible; spontaneity in the average.

Nevertheless, it was necessary to do so. He quickly thought for a few moments before coming to a solution. He would go with his original plan; faking an attack. Rapidly, he ran towards the blonde look-alike of himself. The other, of course, prepared for the teen's false assault. Ed soon came to him and threw a punch with his left arm, which was quickly recoiled so he could punch with his Automail. When he punched again, though, Edward easily dodged it and jumped back a few feet.

_Perfect, _Ed thought maliciously but refrained from grinning; the other was doing _exactly_ what he had hoped for. Edward bent down a bit and jumped in the air, his left leg ready to kick his opponent in the face once more. Unexpectedly though, Ed took a fast step forward, causing Edward to simply land on his feet behind him. Then, a pain shot through all of the memory's nerves as Ed elbowed him in the back with a metal arm. The memory-holder gasped and screamed a bit from the pain that stung all about him.

He took a few steps forward, placing a flesh palm on his hurting back. That had always seemed to be his Achilles Heel; his back was his point of weakness. Whenever it was hit in a harsh manner, it usually left him slightly cringing in pain and praying to the God he didn't believe in that the pain would go away. In this state, he was wide open for attack; he could still see ahead, of course, but his condition didn't allow him to turn around quickly and protect his blind spots. Things were turning grim for the Memory of Edward Elric.

It was now that Ed took advantage of the situation at hand. He ran towards the other combatant; once behind him, he grabbed him by one shoulder and forced him to turn around. Once done with that, he pulled back his Automail and punched the other blonde in the face. Edward took a few steps back and put a hand to his pained jaw; he suddenly felt blood pour out through the side of his lips as he looked back to his other half. Ed began closing in once more.

The punches came fast and harsh, one after another. Edward was soon standing on shaky legs as his bruised and nicked face looked up, slightly fearful, to his adversary. He was panting hard for breath, his throat stinging from doing so. He leaned his palms down onto his knees as he hoped another punch wouldn't come. His hopes were answered, but not in the way he had imagined.

Ed came up to the other Alchemist and he immediately placed both hands on the other teen's shoulders, forcing to stand upright in front of him. In that moment, for Edward, things went from bad to worse. Ed, severely, kneed the other in the stomach, leaving him out of breath and with eyes as wide as saucers. Ed pushed him away; Edward managed to stay on his feet but he stumbled as he stepped back with a hand over his mouth and stomach. He felt somewhat sick, like he was about to throw up.

Ed clapped his hands together and placed a palm on the ground, causing a stone block to transmute itself behind Edward. The memory-holder, of which, leaned back on the transmutation for support as he gasped and coughed heavily. Pulling the hand that was covering his mouth away; he noticed there were droplets of blood spread out about it. He let his arm fall to his side as he looked back to the current leader of the fight. Before he could try and run, Ed grabbed him by his throat and held him a few inches off the ground. Now Edward could barely breathe at all.

Winry and Al watched in shock at the sudden turn the fight had taken. Al stayed silent and shrugged lowly; Winry was refraining from screaming from all the nervousness running through her system. She didn't know who would win this fight; the point was that, no matter who won, the loser would leave her saddened.

Edward clutched Ed's wrist with both his hands as he tried to get some form of oxygen in his lungs. He looked down and was met with Ed's blazing eyes and firm expression. He realized he could choke out some words; physical abuse wasn't the only trick he had up his sleeve at this point. He grinned and let out muffled chuckles.

"What are you doing?" he asked hoarsely. "You know you can't kill me; you don't have the guts to do it. Any minute now you'll let me go…then, you'll lose this fight and any chance you had of getting everything back to you; your memories, your life…you'll stay a hostile bastard for the rest of you life or until the guilt of what you've done to Winry and Al eats away at you and you lose it," he explained in a quiet, husky voice, a grin plastered on his face. Ed intensified his glare and squeezed the blonde's neck tighter, causing Edward to flinch. The Elric's body reached his free, Automail hand over to the side of the transmuted block and, using a metallic finger, he began engraving another circle upon the large block.

Soon, he finished and he looked back, heatedly, to the blonde he was holding in his hand.

"That's what you think," he told him determinedly as he placed his metal palm on the other transmutation circle. In seconds, another blue light enveloped the two look-alikes and small bolts of electricity flailed about them. Once again, Edward's eyes widened quickly as the sound of flesh tearing came. Blood spattered on Ed's person, as it did on the ground as well. The light died down soon.

Edward was choking out breaths as more blood poured through his lips and his eyes became dazed. He coughed out more of the crimson liquid before letting his entire body go limp and allowing himself to be consumed by darkness. It was over for him; a stone-spike was transmuted straight through his center, destroying all his vital organs and making him lose far too much blood. Ed slipped his hand away slowly, noticing the purple marks he had left on the teen's neck from strangulation. His eyebrows tensed as he looked away and closed his eyes, his brows trembling and his teeth and fists clenched tightly.

Once Al and Winry saw how the fight had ended, they gasped silently to themselves. Winry covered her mouth, becoming somewhat sick at the sight of so much blood. She recoiled to Alphonse immediately, who wrapped his arms around her but kept his eyes on the still-living Ed. He couldn't look away now; the blood didn't bother him, for he had already seen vast amounts of it in his life. He was desperate, though; desperate to know what would happen now.

Now that Ed had won.

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**A/N: **OMG, what a long chapter! .-. Please forgive me on the length _and _the delay of this! I said I was on vacation and didn't have time so…yeah DX Please don't hurt me, I said I was willing to repay if anybody asks -nervous grin- Anyway, please R&R, constructive criticism, no flames :) thanks!


	10. Punch of Rememberance

_**Lost Memories**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own _FMA _In Any Way.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language, Angst, Blood, and Gore.

**A/N: **Just read, you know you want to XD

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Ed slowly stepped back from the limp body in front of him. His breathing was becoming unstable and heavy; his composure was slowly leaving him as well. His shaky legs fumbled away from the stone block and he began heading, unknowingly, towards Al and Winry. His head had tilted forward, his golden bangs shadowing his eyes from view. He brought a flesh hand up to his forehead and rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb.

It was painful; he had just killed someone. He knew he had been subject to killing since he was very young, thanks to the few memories he had received from Edward. But still, he never recalled this feeling he was getting now. The blood was sickening; the look in Edward's eyes was terrifying and saddening at once. Once the memory-keeper had stopped breathing, Ed was almost sure he was going to scream his lungs out.

He stopped walking as, suddenly, a headache was forming. He was beginning to feel lightheaded; everything felt as if it was spinning, or as if _he_ was the one spinning. His heartbeat was beating more rapid with each passing second and his dizziness was getting worse. His breath was becoming more unsteady and each of his injuries suddenly felt ten times worse then they should feel. Even the minor cut on his cheek was blazing as if someone had just burned him there with a fire or smoldering-hot metal.

He forced his eyes to open; he was relieved to see that he was, indeed, staying still, but his head still wanted to make him think he wasn't.

_What's wrong with me? _He asked himself. _Have I felt like this before?_ Every muscle in his body was ignoring everything he was telling them to do; his legs refused to move and his breath would not cease to be so heavy. _Why do I feel so weak?_

With all the feelings and things running through his mind, Ed didn't even hear as Edward was struggling to remove himself off the stone-spike he was pinned with. He was supposed to be dead, yes, but he was but a memory-filled form, as Ed had told him. Ed was struggling right now because Edward was taking his strength so _he_ could move. Soon, he had completely gotten off the Godforsaken spike and he, slowly, made his way towards his other half. A rather large gap was in his center, but that was not stopping him right now; had he been a full human, it would have. But, since he was _half_ of Ed, the memory half at that, he could still move around in such a state; even if he was moving slowly.

He began walking towards the Elric body, panting and scowling hard. Dragging his feet, he forced himself until he was standing behind his half. Winry and Al, who were shocked by the whole ordeal, just kept staring, the same thing running through both their minds:

_What'll happen next?_

Once Edward stood behind the other, he grabbed him by his left shoulder with his Automail and forced Ed to face him. Ed's eyes widened significantly. His low level of energy, however, prevented him to be able to ask how he was moving when the memory-holder should be dead. Edward read his mind like an open book and grinned.

"You fight well for not having your memories," he stated and then panted for breath some more. "You want your memories?" he asked as he looked up into the golden eyes of the body. "You got it." Once he said that, he fiercely pulled back his Automail in a fist. Ed's eyes widened but he couldn't move. Quickly, the punch with the metallic arm came and Ed was shot back. As he was falling back, his body began fading into the form of the memory-keeper.

His shirt and belt faded away and his hair was let loose, leaving the teen in only his pants and combat boots as he fell to the floor. The left pant leg of his pants faded away up to his knee, as if it was ripped. He had suddenly gained all the injuries of the memory as well, except for the large gap through his center. The memory-keeper grinned, as he looked down to his other. He was fading as well.

"You win," were Edward's last words before fading completely. Ed let his head fall back. It was then that he heard footsteps and nervous voices that sounded too familiar.

_Al…Winry…_he thought, contently but also weakly. In moments, his friend and brother were hovering at his sides. Winry immediately slipped her hand under his neck and forced him to sit up a bit.

"Brother?" Al's voice cracked edgily. "You alright?" he asked. Ed looked to his sibling's face but then looked to his friend.

"Winry…" he mumbled to her quietly. The Rockbell immediately shushed him gently.

"Save your strength," she advised softly.

"Winry…I…I," his eyebrows trembled from the pain and the effort he was putting into trying to tell her. Before he could finish, though, his eyes rolled back into his head and his eyes closed completely as he slipped into unconsciousness. All his muscles weakened; he couldn't stay awake, no matter how badly he wanted to. Winry and Al stared at him nervously. The area around them suddenly faded away from view and they were once more in front of the Rockbell home in Resembol.

The two looked up to the house before looking back to each other.

"We better get him inside," Al suggested. Winry nodded before gently placing Ed's head back on the ground. Al was the one to pick him over his shoulder and take him inside. Winry told the younger to simply lay his brother on the sofa in the living room, which was what Al did. Winry was the first to sit next to Ed on sofa and hover over him nervously.

It was then that she noticed that the older Alchemist was breathing rather heavily. She placed her index and middle finger to the side of his neck and checked his pulse. She looked up to Al anxiously.

"Al," she told him; the jumpiness was evident in her voice. The younger Elric looked down to her with an inquiring expression across his features. "He's breathing heavy," Winry explained. "And his heartbeat is kind of slow." This certainly made Al's eyes widen.

What could be wrong with his brother? Was this a side-effect from winning the battle? Were his memories doing this to him? Was it his injuries?

…Could he be dying? Al shuddered at the thought and he prayed that wasn't the problem. He looked to Winry sternly.

"It might be his injuries," he told her. "He's lost quite a bit of blood and he's still loosing some. Think you can patch him up?" he asked. Winry nodded and instructed Alphonse to bring her the medical supplies she would need. The Alchemist nodded and went off to do what he was told. A few moments later, he came back with antiseptic, cloth and two bandage rolls, just in case.

Winry took the supplies and placed them to her side. She looked down to Ed and wondered where she would start. She decided his face was her best bet. And so, she grabbed the medicine and, carefully, began.

F----------------M----------------A

Later that day, Winry was almost finished; she was now bandaging the Elric's flesh arm. It had a few cuts and nicks on the upper part and wrist. How they got there, she didn't know but she knew she had to cover them. She was rather nerve-wrecked, though; Ed had made this somewhat difficult. Whenever Winry put some antiseptic on his more major injuries, the blonde Alchemist would flinch and grit his teeth tight; his nostrils would flare and his rate of breathing would increase for a few moments until, apparently, the pain subsided and he'd calm down once more.

The Automail tech had just finished bandaging her friend's upper part of his arm. Now, she let his arm rest on her lap as she grabbed the antiseptic for the wounds on his wrist. She blushed slightly; although the blonde was unconscious, this was the closest she had gotten to having him touch her in any way. She picked up his arm once more and she, gently, applied the medicine on the cuts he had. She saw his fingers twitch slightly and she heard him groan unpleasantly but quietly.

Once the antiseptic was applied, she grabbed a cotton cloth and placed it over the major part of the injury. Afterwards, she got the bandage and began wrapping it, tightly, around his wrist until it was only a few inches away from his elbow, so that it covered all the cuts. She carefully placed his arm over his stomach and looked to his face; he looked at peace but also helpless. Cautiously, she reached over and checked his pulse by his neck once more. She noted that his heartbeat had gotten better but it was still somewhat sluggish.

Al walked out from the kitchen suddenly; he had been on the phone with the town's doctor earlier and explained what had happened, leaving out the crazy parts and saying that his brother had gotten into a major brawl. What he had told Winry before was true; Ed had lost too much blood, not enough to die but enough to slow down his heart rate and speed up his breathing. He immediately walked up to Winry to see how his elder brother was doing.

"How is he?" he asked apprehensively. Winry sighed quietly.

"He's breathing normally and his heartbeat has gotten better but it's still kind of slow," she explained as she was collecting the medical supplies to place it on the table in front of the sofa. Al shrugged sadly.

"Poor Brother," he said quietly. Winry, too, shrugged and looked up to the younger.

"I'm worried, Al," she told him. Al looked down to her and gave her a sad look.

"So am I, Win….so am I…" he mumbled dejectedly. Winry leaned forward on her knees and rubbed her forehead with her hands. She wished this torment would just end soon, just so she could see if Ed was OK and if the brawl was worth it; if he had won back what he was intentionally fighting for. Would she be able to see her old friend again? Or would she be met with the hostile, amnesic Edward?

And what about Alphonse? Would he have his brother back? His only blood-related family and one of his role-models? Or would he have to find a new hero to admire? She supposed all they could do now was…

Wait.

F----------------M----------------A

It had soon gotten significantly late and Ed showed no signs of awaking. Al took his brother to the elder's room and laid him on the bed. Winry was the last one to leave the room. Before leaving, she stared at his barely-moving body momentarily before quietly sighing and shutting off the lights, letting the teen rest and, hopefully, wake up soon. That was all she could do, after all.

Al had gone to his own room to try and rest himself. It was probably a useless attempt, he knew this, but he might as well try. Luckily, he was able to fall asleep after much tossing and turning in his bed. The bed was comfy, the thoughts of his elder brother, however, were upsetting. Nevertheless, his body gave in and practically melted into the soft bed.

Winry, on the other hand, was not so lucky. No matter how much she wanted to, she could not sleep. She was grateful Al could sleep, that way he wouldn't stay up the whole night worrying over his brother. But she was annoyed at the fact that she could not rest because of the blonde Alchemist. She was so worried about him; every possible wrong thing that could've happened ran through her mind that night and it would not allow sleep to come to her.

She finally gave up at around eleven forty-something. She stood out of bed and sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. She walked over to the door to the far end of her room and stepped onto the balcony, closing her door behind her. She walked forward so that she was in front of the balcony's small fence. She leaned her elbows down on it and simply looked out into town; she figured that if sleep would not come, she might as well enjoy the beauty of the night.

At around midnight, Winry had not bothered to return inside. But, there was shifting within the Rockbell home. In Edward's room, the elder Elric was beginning to crack open his eyes. His hands were twitching as he was trying to get a feel for movement. His eyes were ignoring all general orders of opening until, finally, he forced them open and blinked until they no longer stung and no longer felt so heavy.

He groaned lowly and forced himself to sit up. Looking around at his surroundings, he realized he was in his bedroom in the Rockbell home. He swung his combat-boot covered feet over and onto the floor. He looked down at himself; he was shirtless, his brown belt was missing and his left pant leg seemed ripped up to his knee, revealing his Automail leg. He could also feel that his hair was loose about his shoulders. He remembered everything from earlier that day; the spar with Al, the mysterious young man, the brawl in The Gate's world.

But that wasn't all he remembered; he remembered his past, and how he had acted when he had returned with no memories. He remembered that Al was in his flesh body and…Winry. It was then that he stood up and carefully, and quietly, walked out into the hallway. His injuries, although bandaged, made him fumble slightly. But he wouldn't let that stop him.

Not now.

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**A/N: **Please R&R, constructive criticism, no flames ;) thanks! Tried to get this one up as soon as I could; sorry for the slight delay, again.


	11. Midnight

_**Lost Memories**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own _FMA _In Any Way.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language, Angst, Blood, and Gore.

**A/N: **Probably nothing but angst and fluff from here on out XD

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Edward kept walking down the dark, quiet hallway. His eyes were filed with determination and most of his muscles were stiffened. His injuries were aching, making it slightly difficult to walk; he was even using the wall for some support. He was, currently, heading to Winry's room. He was unsure if she was asleep or not but he wanted, desperately, to talk to her; just to hear her voice. Her room was closer to his room than Al's as well, making it his first target.

Soon, he reached her room. He knocked gently on the closed door but heard no response. He tried a couple more times but was met with the same answer. He knew she couldn't possibly be asleep; she woke up easily and the few knocks on her door would have awoken her if she _was_ asleep. It made him worry so he simply put his hand on the knob and walked in cautiously.

He was surprised to find that his mechanic was not in her bed. He looked around further until his eyes landed on her form which was standing out on the balcony, her back to him. His eyes widened slightly but he stepped forwards, nevertheless, and headed towards the same area. He soon stood before the glass door which separated him from the blonde. He watched her for a few moments before finally swallowing the minor lump that had formed in his throat.

Carefully, he paced his hand on the doors handle and gently pulled at it. Easily, it began sliding open, causing Winry to jump and quickly spin around to see who had just joined her. The blonde mechanic's eyes widened as they lay upon Ed's person. The Alchemist, of which, was still sliding the door a bit so he could pass through. Once it was wide enough, he leaned, gently, on it and looked up to Winry.

He dare not speak as he was trying to read Winry's expression. Plus, he was tired and it had taken him some effort to walk all the way to her room, and even slide open the door. In her face, he saw surprise and anxiousness, happiness but also apprehension.

_How could she be nervous? _He asked himself. _It's just me…unless she thinks I still don't have my memory. _Letting the thought sink in, he believed it to be possible; he had won the fight in The Gate but nothing special really signified him getting back his memories. Well, aside form the punch to the face, that is. He then wondered if he should be the first to speak. Winry, however, beat him to it.

"Ed?" she said finally in a quiet, edgy tone. Edward smiled at her and took a step forward, as did Winry. The two stayed somewhat quiet as they stared at each other, pondering over what the other may be thinking. Then, suddenly, Winry quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly. Ed's eyes widened at the gesture and his arms stayed, nervously, at his sides as he blushed from the close contact.

"Ed, I'm so glad you're OK," she whispered to him gratefully, tears ready to escape from her ocean-blue eyes. She then heard Ed shrug unpleasantly and immediately pulled away. "Sorry," she apologized nervously. "Did I hurt you?"

"Nah," Ed spoke finally. "But you could've been a little more gentle," he complained silently. Winry smiled humorously but it soon faded. She, gently, grabbed Ed's arms and stared into his eyes. Ed raised a brow and shrugged quietly. "What?" he asked anxiously.

"Are you back to you, Ed? I mean, did you get your memories back?" Winry asked urgently, her grip slowly increasing. Ed pushed aside his pain and forced himself to smile at her.

"Of course I'm me, Win," he told her softly. "That's why I wanted to see you." His words caused Winry's eyes to widen slightly.

"Really?" she asked him quietly as her hands slipped away from his arms. Ed nodded once.

"Wanted you to know that…" he trailed off for a moment and flashed a gentle smile.

"I'm back."

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**A/N: **I had to make it a cliffhanger, didn't I? XD Sorry for the very…_short _chapter .-. I wanted to cut it off there because of what Ed's says. Though short chapter means I owe everybody another speedy update and much longer chapter at that XD Please, R&R constructive criticism, no flames ;) thanks!


	12. Sweet Confession

_**Lost Memories**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own _FMA _In Any Way.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language, Angst, Blood, and Gore.

**A/N:** FLUFFY ANGST!!! XD

Or…

ANGSTY FLUFF!!! XD

**WARNING: **Spoilers to both manga _and_ anime.

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Winry smiled at him softly.

"That's good to hear," she told her blonde friend. "I thought I was never gonna see the real you again," she explained, some sadness hinted in her voice. Ed's eyes widened a bit and he looked away for a few moments. He felt terrible now that he knew what he had supposed was true. Something then made him smile though, in spite of everything.

Winry was worried about him; worried he had fought for no reason and would've had new battle scars to prove it. Though, while he was unconscious, she had lost sleep over worrying about it. Once again, he went back to frowning before looking back to the Rockbell.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked her suddenly, some nervousness in his voice. Winry thought for a few seconds before realizing what he meant and widening her eyes. She looked over her shoulder to the night sky before looking back to him, smiling subtly.

"Of course not," she replied as she turned around and leaned back down on the balcony railing. Ed followed suit and leaned on the railing next to her. It stayed silent for a few moments as the breezes of the night played with the two blonde's hair. The air filled Ed's nostrils and he closed his eyes, sighing contently as the crisp air calmed him. It was the air he had been waiting a long time to smell again; with his life having been so full of traveling and all-around craziness, it was hard for him to find a moment of relaxation.

Even when he visited for Automail tune-ups, he always felt rushed; as if he _needed_ to get back on the road as soon as possible. Not to mention, whenever he visited Resembol, he usually visited his mother's grave, which was the main reasons for so much grief in his life. He never took a moment to just sit and relax; there always seemed to be something wrong in his life. Whether it had been the Military chewing his leg over something, or the Homunculus who wanted to use him for the Philosopher's Stone, his mind was too clouded with stress to be able to even _think_ about taking a break. Coming to Resembol was never a vacation for him; it was a simple tune-up for the arm and leg and then back on the road again.

That was it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Though, now that he thought about it, he supposed that, when he visited, he had the opportunity to see Winry again. Yes, they spent most of their time arguing but that was how their friendship had grown to be so strong, he supposed. They had their ups and major downs but, in the end, once the problems were solved, it was what made them friends. He'd get her mad, she'd hit him in the head with her trusty wrench and, at the end of the day, they had secretly bonded further. It was an odd relationship but he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, not even a real arm and leg.

That thought made his eyes open again; subtly, but they were open. He thought about it for a few moments before coming to the realization of just how much he appreciated his friendship with Winry, whether he showed the gratitude or not. The air of the night past by and played with his golden bangs as strands of it came in front of his eyes momentarily before falling back into place. He made Winry suffer more than anything; this, of course, just added more sorrow to his life. Winry was his best friend for as long as he could remember. He hated making her saddened by what he did to her but he could never express his feelings that well. Unless it was anger or anxiousness, or the occasional blush of the cheeks, feelings were not Ed's strong point.

With all that, of course, came appreciation. He was grateful for _everything_ Winry did for him; even when she offered to hear what was going on in his head. Although he always refused or shrugged her off, he was grateful that she was even willing to ask. He figured it was more than any other person could offer. He looked over to his blonde mechanic through the corner of his eye. She was gladly enjoying the calm night as much as he was.

He sighed silently to himself; there were things he had to tell her tonight. They would probably ruin the nice moment but he needed to tell her these things; make amends for everything he's done to her in the past.

"Winry…?" he asked suddenly as he stood upright but left his palms leaning on the railing. Winry looked up to him and stood upright as well; she could tell something was wrong just by the sad look in his eyes and they way he said her name.

"What's wrong, Ed?" was the first thing she asked. She heard him inhale before setting free a breath. His fists clenched tightly, as did his eyes.

"There's…something I need to apologize to you for…well, a lot of things, actually," he corrected before looking back to her. Winry's eyes widened slightly and she urged him to continue.

"For starters," the Elric began anxiously. "I want to apologize to you for the way I was acting when I got back…I had no right to yell at you _or_ Al the way I did," he told her lowly as he lowered his head a bit. "I was just so confused, I guess…" his voice trailed off as he let his body slump down further. His face was thoughtful as he was choosing his words carefully to not make him sound foolish in any way; this was a delicate situation and, so, it should be treated with just as much care. "But that's not an excuse," he explained.

"My whole life I've been confused and I never acted that way…I promised myself I wouldn't…" his voice seemed to have a mind of his own; he was getting into things he shouldn't be telling Winry. But, damn, it just felt good to _finally_ get this heaviness of his shoulders and clear his chest. He sighed once more before continuing.

"I don't know if you want to hear about it,"—"My ears are open," Winry interjected suddenly as she leaned down to his level, an inviting smile on her face. Ed smiled a bit and blushed before looking back out to town, his smile fading.

"When I was younger," Ed began once more. "After I burned down my house and I went off on the road…I began having a lot of nightmares." Winry's eyes widened, again, at this and she stayed silent, desperate to hear more. "The nightmares…they felt real, like I was really living them. So, when I woke up, I wasn't really sure if I was really awake or if I was in another dream," he explained, trying to keep his voice strong.

"After I had so many, I woke up paranoid and unsure of who to trust. But, I promised myself to never be as hostile as I was when I got back; just take everything as if it was real. I would only become aggressive if the situation called for it," he explained and briefly looked over at Winry. "That was what I was feeling when I was beginning to get my memories back; I was getting back all the worst ones so I wasn't sure what was real anymore." He turned his head back forwards, letting his hair come in front of his face as wind past by.

"But, since I had no recollection of that promise, I suppose I had no choice but to act on instinct and just not trust anyone…and I'm sorry it got so bad." He looked the other direction now, unsure of what Winry's expression would be; unsure and unwilling to find out. Winry, of which, was just shocked that he had apologized for that. She knew that he wasn't himself then and she forgave him for not acting like himself. But she was surprised at what he told her, and that he _actually_ let her into his life.

"Edward…" she mumbled quietly. The Alchemist's head lowered slightly but he refused to look to her. "You…you didn't have to apologize for that." Once the words left her mouth, Ed's head shot up and his eyes were widened slightly. He looked over to her, urging her to explain. Winry continually smiled at him. Gently, she reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I know you weren't yourself, me and Al both," she told him softly. "Which was why we were so worried about you," she added, her smile fading and her hand sliding off his shoulder. Ed's eyes fell closed and he sighed to himself before looking back towards town and leaning down on the railing the way he was a few moments ago.

"There's more…" he mumbled suddenly. Winry leaned down next to him, letting him know that she would listen for as long as he needed her to. "I…I'm…I'm sorry…" he paused for a moment and took a silent, deep breath. "For making you worry for so long…and for putting you through so much torment over the years…you didn't deserve that, especially not from me," his voice was shaky. Winry looked down to his hands; they were balled into fists as he was trying his hardest to maintain a strong composure.

She looked back to his face with sympathetic eyes. She was surprised even though she wasn't showing it. He had actually apologized for everything had had done to her in past, something she thought he would _never_ do. But knowing that he was holding all of this in also made her heart ache. Ed wasn't the type to express his feelings so openly; she knew this whole thing was difficult for him but she also knew it was good for him. So many years of keeping negative things to oneself is an unhealthy habit; _everyone_ should just vent out every so often, especially Ed.

"It's OK, Ed…you had your reasons," she cooed in a gentle voice.

"No, it's not, Winry," the Elric said suddenly, causing Winry's eyes to widen. "You don't have to try and make me feel good," Ed told her sternly as he looked back to her. "I mean, you should be furious with me for not saying this sooner. I know I messed up, Winry. Don't give me sympathy just because you can." He was now standing completely upright, staring his friend dead in the eyes.

"Ed…" Winry mumbled sadly, staring into his besieged golden eyes. "I'm giving you sympathy because you're my friend and I don't want you suffering anymore…you don't need me to be angry at you and I don't want to be the one to add more stress to your life…you already have too much as it is," she told him softly. Edward's eyes widened at her words.

"Winry…" he couldn't even speak. He looked away and shrugged quietly. Now that the Elric had his head turned, Winry, carefully, made her move; slowly, she brought her arms around his waist before pulling him into a quick embrace, burying her face into the crook of his neck. Ed's eyes had widened but he dare not move. He was unaccustomed to being hugged; now that _Winry_ was hugging him, he couldn't help but blush anxiously.

"I'm glad you apologized, Ed," Winry murmured, causing Ed to look down to her. "And I thank you for finally doing so…I understand why you put me through everything in the past but I'm grateful that you were able to say you're sorry to me; I know how hard it must've been for you. It was sweet, though," she was now smiling as she held him more tightly, urging him to hug her back. Ed smiled contently before, nervously, wrapping his arms around her waist. This had been the first time he had hugged her in a while.

OK, yes, he had hugged her when he had no memories but that didn't count; he didn't remember anything then and, now, he knew _fully_ who Winry was and that he cared for her. He blushed at the thought but hugged Winry more tightly. There were times he wished he could hold her like this, to let her know he understood her pain and was sorry for it all, to comfort her. But there was a reason Ed couldn't express himself that well. He believed that emotions should not be mixed together with his life; emotions were illusions of the mind, nothing but distractions.

Only thing that came out of his life when personal affairs were added was trouble. Since everyone always seemed to be after him, he felt the less people know, the better. That way, they couldn't use those feelings against him in any way. Emotions showed weakness, weakness meant vulnerability to enemies around him and that, in turn, meant danger. That was the last thing he wanted to show; weakness and vulnerability.

A perfect example of using something, or in the case, _someone_, against him would be the Barry the Chopper incident that occurred when he and Winry were merely twelve years old. That memory never seemed to stop haunting him, mainly because he couldn't handle the situation and it almost cost him his _and_ Winry's life. He thought he was going to die then; which meant that Winry would've probably been killed as well. Therefore, he would have been dead and there wouldn't have been anything he could've done about it. He didn't want that, he didn't want anything bad to happen to Winry.

Another time he had feared for Winry was when she had a gun pointed straight to Scar, almost ready to shoot him. Scar had taken the lives of Winry's parents back in the Ishbal Massacre; this, of course, had left her orphaned and in the care of her grandmother, Pinako. It's also what added much grief to her life; she was very young when she found out, younger than one should be to go through such an ordeal. Fortunately, Winry still had her grandmother and Ed's own mother at the time to care for her. Still, the hatred of knowing _who_ killed her parents burned like fire that day.

That day, Winry had a gun pointed to Scar; Ed was fearful because of what the dark-skinned man had threatened.

_"The moment that bullet releases from your gun…you will be my enemy!" _Ed shuddered at the thought and was grateful that his mechanic had not pulled the trigger. The last thing he wanted was to have to spend his whole life protecting Winry from a man who could kill you by placing his palm on your head and blowing your brains out. Not to mention, protecting _himself._ That was what made both situations so similar.

With the Barry the Chopper incident, Ed couldn't protect Winry and much less protect himself. He had learned something very important that day; something he certainly would not soon forget.

"Ed?" Winry asked curiously and anxiously as she had pulled away from the blonde Alchemist. She noticed that he had been rather quiet for the past few minutes and was beginning to worry. She looked into his eyes; it was obvious that he was being fairly thoughtful about something. "Edward?" she asked again, finally making the Elric snap out of his trance.

"Huh?" he asked quickly as he looked to Winry. The Rockbell gave him a curious look.

"You OK, Ed?" she asked him worriedly. Her friend shrugged and pulled his flesh hand up to his forehead.

"It's nothing…just thinking, that's all," he replied quietly, pulling his hand away and looking back to Winry. The look on the young woman's face was unbelieving. Ed sighed and turned his head away. "Really, Win, I just don't want to hurt you if I tell you…" he purposely trailed off and stepped back in front of the balcony railing, leaning down upon it. Winry shot him an odd look.

"Ed…?" Winry asked with her voice full of worriment as she stepped closer to him.

"I don't want to talk," Ed tried shrugging her off; everything suddenly was turning bitter for him. He didn't want Winry to remember those terrible nightmares called memories. _He_ didn't even want to remember them. Winry, on the other hand, was enjoying the fact that Ed was finally talking to her about the secrets of his past. She didn't want him to give up on her so easily.

"Ed, please!" she pleaded as she went to his side and pulled a grip on his flesh arm. Ed's eyes widened at the quick gesture. "Don't give up now, Ed; you'll feel better," she explained. Ed growled lowly; he was growing upset with the nagging his friend was giving him.

"Yeah, but _you_ won't!" he scolded as he looked back to her with glaring eyes. Winry immediately took a step back, her eyes saddened. "You want to know what I was thinking?" Ed asked her irately, his glare intensifying. Winry stayed silent for a moment, unsure of whether to reply or not. "_Do you!?_" Ed demanded before she could even give her answer.

It stayed silent for a mere second before Ed began speaking once more, not caring that Winry had not yet answered. "I was thinking about all the times _you've_ been involved in some dangerous situation that could've cost you your life…and I couldn't handle…" his eyes and voice had gone from firm and stern to loose and sad. "I just…" he trailed off and faced the railing once more, leaning his palms down on it. "Like when we were twelve," he began once more.

"When you visited Central to congratulate me for becoming a State Alchemist…the moment I found out you were kidnapped…nothing mattered. All I wanted to know was where you were and who the hell dare try to take you…but _you_ were my main concern. I thought that, if I didn't find you soon enough…I'd lose you…" he hung his head low and clenched his fists tightly for the millionth time that day. "But when Barry took my arm and tied me to a chair, I realized just how difficult things got. Even when I got free…" he didn't want to keep going but he did.

"I was so scared when I couldn't get you free. And when I felt blood on my arm and soreness all-over from reconnecting the arm, I thought I was going to die. When I changed my arm to a blade and Barry just kept swinging…I thought my body would give in. Even when I finally got a chance to attack, Al was the one who stopped me; I was so scared that I attacked him…the worst part of that whole thing was knowing that, if I died, _you'd_ be next…I learned something that day." His head lifted a bit, his eyes were filled with purpose.

"When dealing with a hostage situation, worry about the other people and hell to yourself…especially when the hostage is someone close to you." Winry's eyes widened at the words that he let escape his lips. "I used that lesson when you wanted to kill Scar," Ed perked up once more. "I was so worried that you'd pull that trigger…in the end, I was grateful you didn't; it would've cost you and me both." The Rockbell gave him an odd look.

"How so?" she questioned.

"Scar said that if you shot him, you'd be his enemy. That means, I would've had to protect you for the rest of who only knows how long and, on top of that, keep fighting for my search…I couldn't be living like that; knowing you'd be in constant danger along with me," he explained. Winry glared at him and huffed out a breath.

"Who said I'd need _your_ protection?" she demanded. She was too protective of herself as a female to want to accept protection, especially from someone as egotistical as Ed. The Alchemist looked over to her, annoyed.

"What do you mean?" he asked in a quiet yet irate voice.

"I'm quiet able to protect myself, Edward," Winry replied defensively.

"HA!" Ed laughed mockingly. "You wouldn't be able to protect yourself; I've _seen_ you in crisis situations…you don't handle them very well, if you ask me," he explained, smirking at her playfully and sarcastically as well.

"Well, then again, nobody asked you," Winry told him sternly as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I could handle a situation just as well as you. And, even if I couldn't, like I'd want _you_ to be defending me," she stated heatedly.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" The Elric demanded, his anger boiling further.

"As if I'd want someone as arrogant as you protecting me; besides, I _can_ protect myself. Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean I'm weak," the mechanic told him firmly.

"I never said you were weak!" Edward defended. Winry let out a breath and returned to the railing, leaning down, harshly, upon it. Her head was turned in the other direction as well, so she shouldn't have to face her 'friend.' "Winry…" Ed carefully stepped next to her as he said her name. "I…I don't think you're weak…on the contrary, you're the one of the toughest girls I know, with an arm to prove it," he said humorously towards the end as he leaned down next to her. Winry shrugged crossly but still didn't look to him.

"How do I know you're not just saying that?" she ordered.

"Because, while other girls are worrying about their appearance and asking their boyfriends to buy them nice jewelry, _you're _the only girl I know who will willingly walk around in public with oil stains on her face and clothes and asks _me _to buy her _wrenches _and expensive tools for her Automail. Not only that, but when somebody messes with you, you're not shy enough to bitch at them or throw your wrench at their heads," he replied playfully. "Or both." He chuckled as he said it.

Winry tried to hide it but failed and giggled quietly. Ed smiled at her; he always loved hearing her laugh. Finally, the Rockbell looked over at him, a smile gracing her beautiful features.

"It's, uh…." Ed started but immediately blushed at the thought of what he'd say next. "What I like so much about you." He looked away and blushed so much he could've passed for a lobster. Winry, on the other hand, widened her eyes and blushed as well.

"You…mean that, Ed?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah, of course I do," the Alchemist replied in a quiet tone. It stayed comfortably silent after that. The two blonde simply stayed leaning on the balcony railing and enjoying the beautiful night, only enhanced by the company of each other. Suddenly, the silence was broken as Ed began chuckling quietly. Winry shot him a curious look.

"What're you laughing about?" she asked, smiling slightly. The Elric shook his head.

"It's nothing," he tried brushing it off but it only made him laugh more.

"What is it?" Winry asked again, her smile broadening. It stayed silent for a moment.

"You owe me a date," the Alchemist replied finally, not looking to Winry but blushing compulsively. Winry's eyes grew small and her brow twitched as she sweated nervously.

"What?" she asked, almost unbelieving.

"Do you not remember _anything_ from today?" Ed asked playfully. Winry thought back and remembered when the 'strange young man' had come to the house. He had been searching for Ed for their brawl and, before Ed had officially agreed, he had stated that if he had won the fight he would get a date with her. But, afterwards, she found out that the supposed stranger was Ed's memories. That was when she looked back to her friend, a grin on her face.

"Technically, no I don't," she told him. "You were split into _two_ people; your body and your memories. The gamble was that if your_ memories_ win, you'd get a date. But, unfortunately for you, your body won; your memories lost miserably," she said mockingly.

"Yeah, but you missed one detail," Ed responded, turning his body around and leaning on the railing with his back facing the town. "My memories and my body were two parts of one whole. So, technically, we _both_ won and technically…_you_ owe _me_ a date." Winry was dumbfounded; just as easily as _she_ had found a reason _not_ to give him a date, _he_ gave her a reason _for_ the date to occur. And, in the back of her head, she wondered if the blonde Alchemist could _actually_ want to be on a date with her. For the moment, she ignored the little thought and continued staring at the Elric in shock.

"So what are you saying?" she asked him as she stood upright. Ed blushed and looked away.

"I'm saying…do you want me to take you out…at seven or eight?" he was blushing compulsively but was willingly looking away from her, shocked by the words leaving his mouth. But he wanted this; it was fun to mess with Winry but he was hoping to get a date with her as well. He knew it was probably hopeless but, hey, at least he was trying.

"Ed…Ed, this is crazy," she smiled but she walked towards the wall next to the sliding glass door that led to her room. She pulled her hand up to her forehead. She was unsure of she would want to date Ed; he had many pet peeves but he also had his sweet side. But she was also unsure if Ed would consider dating her. She knew he would never mess with her feelings like this but, still, she didn't want to exclude any possibilities.

Edward walked up behind her carefully.

"Winry," he whispered. "What if I make you…a little deal?" he asked. Winry's interest, apparently, sparked because she turned around and faced him.

"What do you mean?" she asked of him. Ed smiled and his blush grew; that's all it seemed to do after he had started this whole thing.

"How about…I ask you instead? And, if the way I ask you doesn't meet your standards…I'll admit I'm not worth your time and just drop it," he explained softly. Winry looked to the ground and thought for a moment before looking back at him.

"Alright," she agreed with a smile. "I suppose it wouldn't be fair if I didn't at least give you a chance…so give me your best." Ed smiled at her, both happily and gratefully.

"In that case," he began as he looked down and took both of Winry's hand in his own before looking back into her eyes. "Just listen." Winry was already surprised and the boy hadn't even _begun _to officially ask her out. "Winry," he uttered her name, trying to sound confident but sweet. Winry dare not tear her gaze away from his.

"Will you…do me the honor of…letting me take you out on a date?" he asked, both nervously but with a small smile on his face. "And, I promise…if it's not the best time you've ever had…then I'll never _ever_ ask you for a date again and I'll pay full-price for your Automail tune-ups…" he couldn't believe he had just said that; if Winry _did_ accept it, the date would have to be perfect…for both of them.

"Ed," the look in Winry's eyes as she said his name was that of complete happiness. She was astounded at the sweetness in his voice as he was talking; not to mention, they way he had asked was just so perfect. He even promised that, if the date wasn't just right, he'd sacrifice a few things because of it. "I'd…I'd love to," she replied finally. Ed's eyes widened and his smile broadened.

"Really? When?" he asked, nearly unbelieving. Winry smiled at him seductively.

"How about right now?" she asked, sweet, playful lust in her voice. Ed raised a brow, curious as to what she meant. Winry, as if reading his mind, leaned her back against the wall and wrapped her arms around Ed's neck, carefully bringing him closer. The Elric's eyes fell half-lidded and he smiled lustfully as well. They brought their faces closer and soon, their lips connected.

Immediately, they let themselves into one another and began exploring each other. Ed readily closed off the space between them and intensified the kiss further. He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her as close as he could and not willing to let go. Winry followed action and lovingly wrapped her arms around the young man's neck, entangling her fingers with his still-loose, golden hair. It was soft and smooth to the touch, surprisingly enough.

They pulled away, finally, when they realized they wanted oxygen in their lungs. Reluctantly, their lips disconnected and they were panting silently. Ed smiled at Winry, as did the blonde mechanic.

"Ed," Winry whispered, cupping Ed's cheek with her hand and smiling fondly at him. "I…I love you." Her soft voice caused Ed's smile to fade and his golden orbs to widen.

"Winry…you…sure about that?" he asked, wondering if he had even heard her correctly. The Rockbell smiled at him and hold his cheeks with both hands.

"Yes, of course I mean it!" she told him. "I wouldn't play with you like that, Ed, I swear; I really care for you." The Alchemist smiled at her words and cupped her cheek as well.

"I…" he trailed off nervously, nervous about what he was about to say. But he had been waiting for this moment his whole life; the moment he'd confess his feelings for Winry and start a completely new life with her. He knew he wasn't worth the Rockbell's love but he tried to ignore that and put it behind him. He wanted to believe that, by being with the mechanic, he could make her happy. That was all that mattered, by his standards; _her_ happiness.

"I love you, too," he mumbled finally. Winry smiled and quickly pulled him into a tight embrace, letting him know just how grateful and happy she was. Ed was just surprised he was able to say that; to _finally_ tell her. He kept his arms around her and hugged her back tightly.

"I love you."

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**A/N: **O….M….G.-. This is _so _long DX I apologize for that -nervous grin- anyway, this story is finally _complete!_ So, please R&R, constructive criticism, no flames ;) thanks! I hope you all enjoyed the read!


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